


Making a New Man

by HelaRad



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Friends to Lovers, In later chapters will be more NSFW, M/M, Other, PTSD, Partners to Lovers, Slow Burn, Starts a little while before overwatch is refounded, They all have shit they are working through, Violence, long fic
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-28
Updated: 2017-02-18
Packaged: 2018-09-02 21:21:02
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 27,360
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8683792
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HelaRad/pseuds/HelaRad
Summary: The story of how Hanzo began his long road to redemption and managed to pick up Jesse McCree on the way.





	1. A New and an Old Start

The nights in Hanamura for the last three weeks had been heavy with heat, today marked the first sign of changing seasons. A cool wind whipped through the city, taking with it the the last of the summer’s humidity. When he was a child on the first evenings like this he and his family used to buy firework and play Mr. Wolf. He and Genji would inevitably get too rambunctious and their parents would send them to bed. Still jittery and eager to continue playing, they would whisper to each other till their eyes became too heavy and sleep drew them in. 

Hanzo gently pulled back the white curtain inside his motel room and peered out the barely two foot window. A family emerged from their room below his onto the street, already bustling and laughing. One of the children stumbled over their own shoes and the older one rushed to stop him from crying. One of the reasons he hated coming back to Hamamura was because of all the echoes of his old life which he couldn’t seem to let go of. 

He slid open the window just enough to let some air in before drawing the curtain closed again. Despite the cooler weather, the motel room felt too warm. The circulation was poor and every inch of the floor was carpeted for the winter. Of course, he didn’t expect much from such a cheap place. Despite it’s numerous short comings, this was one of the few places which allowed him to pay in cash, with no identification, and no questions asked. Moreover it was vacant save for a few people, he hadn't even seen an attendant or a cleaner.

He walked back to his bed and double tapped on the tablet’s screen to bring back up the surveillance videos. He had been filming the routines and paths of the guards around his old home since he had arrived in Hanamura almost a month ago. Within the last week there had been an increase in guards. _Perhaps in preparation for my arrival._ He thought and scrolled through several files till he came to the more recent footage. He knew that it wasn’t wise to return on the same day every year, but there was no other option when honoring his brother. He felt a soft sting in his heart; over the years it had lessened from a stab to a sting. He wasn’t sure if he should be grateful or guilty for that.

He refocused on studying the guard’s paths, pushing all other thoughts to the side to be dealt with at a later time. The inclusion of more guards so close to his annual arrival was ill conceived. With so little time for the guards to learn the layout they would be easy targets. He had even seen one get lost on their way to the bathroom two nights ago. _Were I still the lord of the house, this type of incompetence would not be tolerated._

He paused on a wide shot of his family’s castle and let out a small sigh. _Still pretending like you are The Great Dragon Lord, eh? Ridiculous._

Hanzo scrolled over the most recent video one more time before turning off his tablet, wrapping it in an old jacket, and putting it partially under his bed so that it looked as though it had been dropped there haphazardly. Hanzo had his route all planned and would be arriving at 11:36. It was just before the shift change and the night guards arrived. The guards who would be attending at that time would be tired after a long day and eager to leave, they would not be as alert when he arrived. Whereas the new men would be too inexperienced to know what to do or where to go when faced with unconscious comrades and an unknown assailant. He would not stay long enough for them to figure it out. This should be one of the easier times he has visited. 

He looked at the clock on the night stand beside his bed: 6:28 pm. He still had a several hours until he had be ready. He briefly considered meditating in order to center his mind before tonight, but his stomach rumbled softly reminding him that he hadn’t eaten since that morning. He laid a hand on his stomach as if to quiet it. Forgetting to eat was very unlike himself but he supposed that the anticipation for this evening had taken the majority of his focus. He wished – not for the first time – that the motel had some manner of room service. Although it would likely be inedible judging by the state of his accommodations.

He stood and opened the luggage at the foot of his bed and removed a pair of black jeans, a long sleeve white t-shirt, and a grey jacket. If he were to remain inconspicuous tonight, his regular attire would not be suitable. He quickly changed and was about to make for the door when he remembered the yellow scarf still tied in his hair. After a moment’s reluctance he removed it, letting his hair fall to his shoulders. He carefully folded it and placed it on the night stand before heading out. 

He walked for about an hour east of his motel, sticking his hands in his pockets against the cold breeze. He ate somewhere different every night at varying distances to avoid anyone figuring out his location. Finally, he came upon a bar with neon pink letters over the door which read “Legacy”. It looked secluded and the menu on the door seemed decent and cheap so he decided to go in. 

The venue itself was dimly lit save for the actual bar which had several hanging light that gave off a soft warm glow. A man with a flat top and a suit stood mixing a drink behind it. At the end of the bar he could see a door which he presumed led to the kitchen judging by the sounds coming from it. Luckily, music was playing from several speakers around the bar which mostly succeeded in drowning it out. The room was filled with medium sized wooden tables with clusters of people and omnics of all types eating, drinking, and laughing. He made his way over to the bartender, slouching somewhat to avoid unwanted attention. 

“Welcome to Legacy, what can I get for you!” the bartender exclaimed with a fake smile.

“Sake, kaarage, and a small order of edamame.” Hanzo said, already pulling out his card. 

“Sure thing – ,“ he took Hanzo’s card and read, “Saito-san”

Hanzo nodded and waited for his purchase to be rung up. He preferred aliases with the same first letter as his real name. It made them easier to remember and if he somehow ever got confused and said his real name he could recover quickly and most people wouldn’t think too much of it. 

“We will bring that to your table for you, Saito-san.” said the bartender as he handed Hanzo his card back.

Hanzo thanked him and turned to find a seat where he could see most of the bar. Luckily there was a small table with two chairs at the back of the the room near a signed poster of a band he didn’t know. He sat down, grateful that not only could he see the entrance and the majority of the room at a glance, but also his back was covered by a wall. He took in his surroundings one more time, assessing the room and planning an escape route if something should happen. He came to the conclusion that his only viable option would be the front door given that there were no windows and no other doors that he could see. He thought it might be possible that there was a door through the kitchen but he didn’t want to bet on an uncertainty in an emergency. The front door wasn’t ideal, but it shouldn’t be a problem. 

Moments later an omnic in a suit brought his food and drink. Hanzo thanked him quietly before pouring himself a glass. Perhaps he shouldn't drink tonight but he need something to calm his nerves. He had a sip and took a moment to look at the people around him. A table where two women laughed with an omnic near the door, a group who seemed too young to be drinking lingered by the music selection screen mounted on the wall a few feet in front of him, a man alone at the bar trying to talk to another man a seat away from him who seemed uncomfortable, a table of three omnics conversing in a strange language, and then his eyes landed on a man who was already looking at him intently two tables to his right. Slowly Hanzo passed over him like he had done with everyone else. He put his drink down, put his elbow on the table, and leaned his head on his hand. He allowed his hair to fall over his face to obscure it from the man’s view. 

Hanzo recognized him, he was a bounty hunter named something Korean like Se Jun. Hanzo picked up a piece of chicken and chewed it, pretending not to look at the man through his hair. Se Jun was not alone, there were two more men with him, all of them wearing garish green jackets with some kind of black and gold insignia on the sleeves. They looked more like a gang than a group of bounty hunters. To his marginal relief it seemed as though the man was now simply talking to his companions. Hanzo wasn’t naive enough to think that Se Jun wasn’t still watching him but he hoped he would be forgotten soon.

When Hanzo looked back on this moment he wondered what would have happened if he hadn’t been distracted by the man who walked in. Hanzo glanced up as he entered, the first thing that he registers was his ridiculous hat. _American_ , he thought as he looked down the man’s body. He was wearing a cowboy hat, a plaid red over shirt which was unbuttoned to show a black t-shirt which read “the west never died” in cracked golden lettering. Hanzo resisted the temptation to roll his eyes. 

_All he needs are cowboy boots._ Hanzo took a second to look again and no, no boots. The man sat down at the bar two seats away from the door and said something to the bartender. Hanzo couldn’t make out the words but he registered a deep voice above the music. The bartender handed him a cup with amber liquid and the man smiled at him, the bartender smiled a real smile back. The man – who Hanzo was now calling cowboy – picked up the glass and turned around in his seat so that he was facing out to the rest of the room, one elbow still resting on the bar. Hanzo noticed a glint off his hand and now realized that he had a mid-grade metal prosthetic. He must be getting rusty to not have seen that much sooner, such a slip could get him killed.

Hanzo was trying to get a better look at it when he became aware that the man was looking back at him. Hanzo was about to turn away and continue his meal when the man _winked_ at him with a sly smile. Hanzo scowled back before pouring himself another glass of sake, somewhat embarrassed at having been caught. 

He tried to eat more of his meal but he felt the cowboy’s eyes on him more than once. He bit down hard on his last piece of edemame when he saw a man approaching him to his right. For a moment he thought it was the cowboy but he returned to himself when he saw a green jacket. 

“Get up.” growled Se Jun. 

_Goddamn it. Another foolish mistake._

Hanzo didn’t react and instead took the last sip of his drink. He noticed the bounty hunter had one hand obscured beneath his jacket. Hanzo didn’t have to look to know it was a gun.

“I know who you are, Shimada. Get up and come with me now or you’re about to get a whole lot uglier.” 

Hanzo wiped off his hands on his napkin, still not reacting to Se Jun. 

“Are you deaf? I said g-,“ Se Jun grabbed Hanzo’s arm, attempting to pull him up. Typical bounty hunter, dim witted and quick to temper.

Hanzo lashed out, quickly grabbing the man’s hand and twisting it up and back, standing up at the same time. The bounty hunter’s arm locked up at the elbow and Hanzo slammed him into the table with his other arm pinned against it so that he couldn’t pull his gun. He heard the scraping of chairs as Se Jun’s two accomplices stood to aid him. Using his other hand to keep Se Jun’s arm locked Hanzo stood him back up, turned them both around, and pushed him towards the other two. 

He heard all three of them stumble as tables and chairs clattered to the floor. He didn’t stay to find out if the other two had guns. He slid over the table in front of the two women and the omnic and bolted for the door. 

“What in the heck?!” Hanzo thought that might have been the cowboy but didn’t have the time to dwell on it.

He burst through the door and turned a hard left just as a bullet flew into a wall outside the bar. The bar erupted into a chorus of screaming and shouting. Hanzo ran along the side of the building cursing his restrictive clothes with every step. He found an alley with a fire escape and ran towards it. If he could get up it fast enough, he could simply leap along roof tops to avoid the clearly clumsy men till he was out of sight. He was mid way to it when Se Jun and one of the other bounty hunters shouted a quick, “There he is!” and came barreling down the alley from the other direction.

_There must have been a back door through the kitchen._

They were already pulling out their guns again. Hanzo took quick stock of his options as he ran: running back would take too long and these men would be firing down a narrow space with not much room for him to maneuver. He would be shot in seconds. Running up the fire escape wouldn’t offer enough cover and would be too small of a space. Again, shot. His only option was to take them out in close quarters where hopefully they wouldn’t shoot for fear of hitting each other. 

He ran at them with his full speed, one of them taking a shot which Hanzo heard whiz by his left ear and whip through his hair. He reached them and grabbed Se Jun’s gun, twisting it to the side as another shot was fired, thankfully into the ground this time. He hated fighting with guns, they went off 80 percent of the time. He took hold of Se Jun’s wrist, twisting it and his hand till Se Jun dropped his gun with a grunt. Hanzo ducked to the right as the other man tried to grab him. 

He quickly put Se Jun in another joint lock, but this time he didn’t stop at the partial move. He dropped Se Jun to the ground keeping his arm up. He then pushed down with the full weight of his body and felt Se Jun’s elbow break. Just before Se Jun could shout Hanzo looped his leg over the other man’s arm and connected his heel to his face. Hanzo released him as Se Jun fell unconscious and just before the other bounty hunter managed to get a grip on his shoulder. Grabbing his hand Hanzo used the other man’s momentum to bring him forward at the same time Hanzo raised his elbow. The man’s weight carried him forward and knocked himself out.

Hanzo stepped to the side allowing the other man to crumple atop Se Jun. Hanzo looked around for the third attacker but saw no one. He decided to not look for him and started to hurry back towards his motel. He moved fast, but didn’t break into a run which would draw more attention to their already loud fight.

He was about ten minutes away from Legacy when he noticed how empty the main road had become. He decided to turn off and try to make his way through some of the back streets. It would take him a little longer, but something didn’t seem quite right about being out in the open with no one around. He walked down a small road along a grocery store and was about to turn into another side street when the third bounty hunter stepped out in front of him, gun already leveled at Hanzo’s head. 

“The bounty says dead or alive. I guess we’re going with dead.” sneered the man as he pulled back the slide.

Hanzo was about to roll to one side when a metal fist slammed into the the side of the bounty hunter’s face. The man stumbled for a moment, shot once into the air, before he collapsed, unconscious. 

Hanzo didn’t relax as the cowboy stepped out from behind the store. He looked at Hanzo whose hands were still raised and poised to fight.

“Whoa there, partner.” He said as he put up his hands to show he was unarmed. 

Hanzo didn’t move, unsure of the cowboy’s intentions.

In the most American sounding and poorly put together Japanese Hanzo has ever heard, the man said…something.

“What?” Hanzo straightened but didn’t completely relax his stance.

“Oh, you speak English!” the cowboy lowered his hands and smiled, the street lamps catching his teeth, “I was just sayin’ that you don’t need to worry. I wasn’t gonna do anything to ya.”

Now Hanzo did lower his hands, “Your Japanese is horrible.”

The cowboy tipped his hat up with his prosthetic hand, “Well, that’s a fine thank you for savin’ your life.”

“It wasn’t meant as one, and I was not in need of saving.” Hanzo said curtly.

The cowboy looked down at the unconscious man, the whole left side of his face already swelling and beginning to purple, “Really now? From my end it looked like he was about to shoot you in the head.”

Hanzo ignored his remark, “Did you follow me from the bar?”

“Uh.” The cowboy scratched his beard with his prosthetic and placed the other hand on his hip, cocking it out to one side, “Sort of.” he sounded unapologetic.

Hanzo crossed his arms, “If you truly had no intention of 'doing anything to me' then why did you follow me?” 

“Well, it didn’t really look like much of a fair fight. One guy runnin’ from three guys with guns. In my experience – well lately any ways - the ones who are runnin’ are usually the ones who need the help. I didn’t have anything else goin' on so I figured I might as well throw my hat in.”

There was a long moment of silence. Hanzo sized up the man once more, processing his words. The cowboy shifted his weight onto his other foot, looking uncomfortable for the first time. 

“You pursued a man whom you did not know out of a bar and after three men – who by this point you knew had guns – just because I was running?” 

The cowboy chuckled a little, now putting both hands on his hips, “Well, when you say it that way it sounds kind of stupid. But, I got a strong sense for justice and you looked like you needed help so that’s what I did.”

Then Hanzo did something he hadn’t done in a long time; he laughed. Nothing uproarious, just a quick laugh which he brought his fist up to cover. 

“You are right, it is stupid.” He said with a small smile.

The cowboy looked taken aback, if Hanzo was not mistaken there was a light dusting of pink on the man’s face. This realization gave him a thrill which he tried not to analyze. There was a strange moment where they both just stood above the unconscious bounty hunter, smiling slightly at one another. A wind blew, sweeping cherry blossom petals and garbage across the ground at their feet. He was suddenly reminded of what he must do and all other thoughts melted away. He was a little grateful for a reason to go. 

Hanzo looked back up at the cowboy who smiled slyly, a tinge of pink still playing over his cheeks. He resisted the urge to roll his eyes for the second time that night. The cowboy seemed about to say something when Hanzo cut in, “I must be going. Have a good night.”

He turned around and started to head back to the main road when the cowboy shouted after him, “Hey! Want to go get a drink?”

Hanzo stopped and turned around as the cowboy stepped over the bounty hunter and hurried to catch up with him, “I have already had a drink.”

“Well, how about somethin’ to eat then?” 

“You saw me eat dinner at the bar.” He said flatly.

The cowboy sighed, “Well, can I at least have your number?” 

“I don’t have a phone.” Hanzo lied. 

The cowboy groaned, hooking his thumbs through his belt and leaning back slightly, “Do ya at least have a name?”

For a small moment Hanzo considered giving the man his real name, sure that they would never meet again, but caught himself, “Haruto Saito.”

He smiled, “Nice to meet you Saito, my name’s Joel Cassidy.”

“You as well Cassidy-san. Good night.” 

“Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow around the same time?”

Hanzo gave a polite smile and didn’t answer as he left. 

He walked for a while before returning to his room. He changed quickly and began to meditate, refocusing on the reason he came: his brother. Old guilt washed over him in a familiar tide as he relived what he had done along with new guilt over allowing himself to forget his purpose in Hanamura for even a moment. He felt a myriad of emotions course through him, sadness and anger prominent among them. Time ticked by and soon enough his alarm went off notifying him that it was time to move. He gathered storm bow and several arrows of different kinds and headed out towards his old home, prepared to ask again for the forgiveness he knew he would never receive.

***

Hanzo returned to the motel shaken and unsure of the world he thought he knew. His brother? Alive? It couldn’t be. _How_ could it be? He saw him slain with his own two eyes. He looked down at his hands which seemed to be covered anew in old blood. _I killed him with my own hands._ The words rung through his head as he stood, blankly staring into his upturned palms for what felt like years. His eyes pooled with tears as the room began to spin. When the spinning became too much he rushed to the bathroom and almost missed the toilet as he vomited till he had nothing left.

He hardly slept at all that night. He managed to get himself into the shower. Completely clothed, he sat under the scalding water till it turned to ice, trying to cleanse away whatever he could. Thoughts, blood, sins. When he felt as though he could stand again, Hanzo stripped off his clothes, left them in the shower, and dressed himself in a bathrobe. He sat upright in the center of the bed, eyes vacantly looking ahead. His world began to spin again he closed his eyes against it. He stayed that way for a long time, trying to focus on the things he could make sense of. An old technique he used to have to calm himself, but none of it seemed true anymore. Eventually he slumped backwards and fell asleep, thoughts of his brother and what he had done swimming through his head like an infinite echo chamber. Hanzo sleepily sought any thought to deliver him from the pain and found nothing. Just before he drifted off the voice of an idiotic foreigner whispers in his ear _I wasn’t gonna do anything to ya._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, I hope you liked the first chapter! I put a lot of work into it and I hope you will continue reading. I'm going to try and update every week, but I have exams coming up so it might be a little over that. 
> 
> Thanks for reading and don't hesitate to comment!
> 
> Feel free to follow me on tumblr where I will post updates: http://overfucker.tumblr.com/


	2. A Step Forward

Hanzo awoke the next day with a headache. A sharp pain which seemed to lance from his eyes to his temples. He turned his face further away from the pillow and attempted to open his eyes, but even the small sliver he managed intensified the pain to an almost unbearable level. He rubbed them with the heels of his palms till he felt some of the blurriness begin to dissipate behind his lids. The previous night came back to him all at once with another bright flash of pain and a wave of nausea which made him grateful that he had nothing left in his stomach. He groaned aloud and rolled onto his back with his arm slung over his face.

He laid like that for close to 10 minutes before he forced himself regain control. Yesterday’s reaction was unavoidable; today however he was going to decided on his next step and would not allow for another episode. He lifted his arm from his face and slowly began opening his eyes, his headache pulsed in protest but he refused to remain on his back for the rest of the day. He slowly sat up while the room tried to spin about him. Once he had managed to sit totally upright Hanzo took stock of the state he had left the room in. The lights had been left on, his luggage had been thrown haphazardly onto the floor with some of it’s contents spilt out, storm bow and his quiver leaned beside the door in plain sight of anyone who might have entered.

_Despite my emotions I should have left the room in better condition._ He chastised himself. 

He slid to the edge of the bed, adjusting the robe which was only being held to him by the cord around his waist at this point. He stood, felt the room spin again, and reached out to grip the head board. Not only his presumed brother’s return from the dead, but also the vomiting, and sitting in the shower for hours had taken it’s toll on him.

He teetered there for a few moments before the motel phone on the night stand began to ring. Hanzo resisted the urge to slam it into the floor repeatedly only because the resulting sound would make the action not worth it. He checked the number and recognized it as the front desk. He rolled the receiver off the dial and hit speaker.

”Hello?” Hanzo croaked, voice still groggy from sleep.

”Good morning Saito-san!” chirped a young woman, “Someone left a message for you at the front desk last night and asked that we deliver it to you this morning, are you able to receive it?” 

”Yes.”

”The message reads ‘Call me at +231-664-9438 when you are ready to meet. Signed The Sparrow.’ Would you like me to repeat the message, Saito-san?”

Hanzo quickly wrote down the number, “No. Thank you.”

”You are welcome. Have a good day!” she hung up, leaving the world in blissful silence once more.

Hanzo held the piece of paper up as though it would tell him something beyond a simple sequence of numbers. The area code interested him, he didn’t recognize it. Another wave of dizziness washed over him and he set the message down on the nightstand. He decided to investigate it further after he had tended to his body and mind, he could not concentrate in his current state. He went to the bathroom and brushed the taste of stale vomit away before considering a shower, but a reminder from last night deterred him. He picked up his wet clothes and hung them to dry over the shower curtain rod. Hanzo removed the robe he had been wearing and hung it on the hook fastened to the door before brushing his hair and going to dig some clothes from his luggage.

He pulled on his pants from the night before and found on old light blue shirt with black stripes and his grey jacket before departing. It took him no time to find a crepe stand a few streets south of his motel. He ordered two of his favourite with turkey, egg, and cheese. They boxed it for him and he thanked them as he began the long walk to his old meditation spot. He opened one and began to eat it on the way to tide him over.

When he had lived in Hanamura, he and Genji had bought a small apartment on the top of a hill to get away from their parents from time to time. They had used money from the jobs that they had worked with their father’s thugs and by 15 years old they could afford an apartment building all on their own. Even since before their father’s death the two had visited together less and less till it sat like a children’s club house, filled with dust and old memories. A few years ago the unoccupied space had been seized by the government and had been torn down due both of it’s former occupants presumed to be dead. Hanzo visited the lot where it had once been every time he was in Hanamura. He still felt that it had the best view in all of Japan and was the perfect spot to clear his mind. He finished the crepe as he walked, feeling his energy returning with every bite. 

Almost an hour and a half later he arrived at the bottom of a hill with stairs laid into it with stone. In hindsight he realized how his parent’s money had allowed him and Genji to live lavish lives. At the time he had felt deserving – no, entitled to such wealth - how foolish he was. He ascended the stairs and looked out on the large space the building had once occupied. There were still some tracks left from the construction equipment but now the plot was over grown with grass and a smattering of wild flowers. Someone had even put two picnic tables up and a garbage can which made him wonder if the city planned on making the space a park. He hoped not. Thankfully they had left up his favourite part of the apartment: a large cherry blossom tree which sat at the lip of the hill’s slope. It was a steep hill with not many other buildings around it which allowed the tree to grow unhindered.

He sat with his heels tucked beneath him under the tree, he set the box with the other crepe on his lap and allowed himself to relax in the familiar environment. At the base of the hill the city began again, sprawling out as far as the eye could see with bright swatches of trees, store fronts, and street signs. A gentle wind blew and rustled the tree and blew his unbound air forward into his face. He swept it behind his ears and took a deep breath in through his nose, feeling the air to cleanse his body. He let last night’s events unfold in his mind so that he could pick through them one at a time.

The first and most obvious thing to be concerned about was his brother. Was he alive? Could that actually have been him? It was certainly possible, but that was not a realistic basis to look at whether or not his brother was alive. He thought back again to the cyborg’s face after he had removed his mask. _I know those eyes._ Older and deeper than he had every seen them, but still the familiar eyes of his younger brother.

But could it be? He sighed aloud. Such technology wasn’t unheard of. Seeing as the cyborg’s face was unchanged it might be a more complex version of the prosthetics that many people now utilize since the first omnic crisis. He himself wore prosthetics from the knee down on both of his legs. He thought back to the phone number on the night stand. He would have to learn more about this cyborg before he willingly walked into some kind of trap. Perhaps the number could be a trigger or a signal of some kind to alert whoever sent him to Hanzo’s whereabouts. Although, the cyborg had had an opportunity to kill him last night, and yet here he was. Perhaps it was a way to lure him out of hiding to get information from him? However, most perplexing of all, was the dragon that the cyborg had been able to control. It had certainly looked like his brother’s dragon but could such a thing be duplicated using a hard light construct?

He pulled out his phone and ran a quick search for the words “green cyborg”. The results that came up were few so he added green cyborg ninja and was immediately greeted with several images which surprised him. The first was a picture of the cyborg from last night in a mural at the Overwatch museum. How could that be? His brother was working for Overwatch? No, not his brother. A cyborg spy from Overwatch. They had been a long time enemy of the Shimadas, even running several operations to take down the whole family. Hanzo closed his eyes to a truth he knew he couldn’t avoid. If this cyborg was his brother, no doubt what Hanzo had done turned him towards Overwatch.

This new information was all the more reason not to trust the cyborg. It was possible that he was his brother - turned to Overwatch – or he could be an agent attempting to bring him in. He didn’t think that they were still running after the instillation of the PETRAS act, but clearly they were still operating in some capacity. Suddenly he remembered the area code on his night stand and looked up it's corresponding location: Liberia. He did a quick search for the words "Overwatch" and "Liberia". It returned with no search results. If there was a connection between the Liberian number and overwatch, it was a secret. He came to the same conclusion, he needed to know more. He continued looking through the search results finding more and more evidence that the cyborg worked for Overwatch before he came across a post on a social media website. I boy had taken a picture of the cyborg in Nepal and the date was almost two weeks ago.

He translated the caption through an app and it read something along the lines of ‘I saw a crazy omnic today at the temple. Looked really cool!!’ The photo was clearly taken in secret as the picture was of his back. He was standing and conversing with a floating omnic in the snow. The rest of the image was obscured by the photographer’s thumb. He looked at the geotag and found the temple on a map. This was his first good lead. He would go to this temple and find information about the cyborg. If this turned up nothing, his next course of action would be to visit the Overwatch museum and memorial. Although, if they were still running and trying to bring him in, this would be like walking directly into the lion’s den. Hopefully the agency had better things to do than patrole their own museum.

Hanzo looked down at the box resting in his lap and decided the other crepe would be long since cool enough to eat. He would eat and then look for tickets and hotel reservations. As he opened the box he heard a loud clatter and a curse from the stairs. He turned in time to see Joel Cassidy trying to pick up the pieces of his phone over a now missing section of the top step. For a moment Hanzo considered sliding down the hill and disappearing into the city but decided that the man had probably already seen him and there was no point in running. 

”Goddamn it,” cursed Joel as he attempted to put his phone back together. After a moment of fussing with it he put it in his pocket and looked up. He seemingly noticed Hanzo for the first time. He smiled and called, “Well, good morning to you, Mr. Saito!”

“Are you following me?” asked Hanzo as the cowboy began to walk over.

”Partner, you really have some set of manners, and no I’m not.”

Today the cowboy was dressed even more ridiculously than last night. He had some sort of red cape wrapped around him which was tattered all along the edges. It obscured his right upper half, leaving his prosthetic arm on full display. As the wind shift his cape Hanzo could see that he had on a large chest plate with tubes which were likely running some kind of coolant through them. He also had a thick belt with a large golden belt buckle with the letters B.A.M.F. written on them. Almost stranger than that though was the boots with spurs he wore beneath a pair of chaps. He looked like he was on his way to some kind of strange Halloween party.

He came to stand at Hanzo’s right side, from such a low angle Hanzo thought that the man might actually cut somewhat of an intimidating figure, “I was just doin’ a little sight seeing before I headed out of town tonight. My phone told me that this was one of the best spots to see the city from.”

Hanzo looked at him for a long moment, trying to determine if he was telling the truth.

Seeing Hanzo’s uncompromising gaze he sighed and tipped his hat up, “I would show it to you on my phone but it just broke, damn thing.”

”Convenient.” noted Hanzo. 

To Hanzo’s surprise Joel barked out a laugh and sat down beside him, Hanzo scooted away. “You certainly are a suspicious son of a bitch, but I suppose I would be too after whatever that was last night.”

Hanzo felt his heart seize up. It was impossible this man could have known. Was he actually following him, had he seen him and the cyborg fighting? He decided not to answer and instead looked steadily at the cowboy.

Seemingly seeing a slight question in Hanzo’s eyes he clarified, ”Those guys runnin’ after you at the bar?” Joel looked at him strangely, almost like he was searching him.

Hanzo decided to tell him a partial truth to dissuade further questioning, “That was not the first time I have been chased by men like them and I’m sure it will not be the last. I have made many enemies throughout my life, and I will not allow them to concern me.”

That was true, if somewhat vague, but hopefully it was enough of an answer to avoid prying. 

”That, I understand.” Joel looked out over the skyline.

Hanzo looked at his face fully for the first time. He was not a beautiful man but there was a certain rugged handsomeness to him, as though he had seen much in his life. Joel turned and looked back at him, neither of them smiled as each remembered old lives. Suddenly Joel tilted his head forward so that his hat dipped down to cover his eyes and let out a small sigh before shifting to sit against the tree. He leaned his head up against it so that he was looking at Hanzo.

”So, are you from around here?” asked Joel.

”Yes,” Hanzo said shortly.

”Where ‘bouts do you live?” Joel said amicably.

_Is this some sort of interrogation?_

”I don’t live here anymore, I was just back to visit my family. You are clearly not from here though.” he said trying to redirect the focus of their conversation.

Joel chuckled a little, “No, I’m not from even close to around here, I was actually here lookin' for someone. An old friend of mine.”

”Judging by your sudden departure I would assume that you found whomever you were looking for.”

Joel smiled at him wolfishly, “Yeah, I did. He was actually in town lookin’ for a someone himself. Sounded like he found him so he came along with no fuss.”

Something about Joel’s phrasing sounded strange. Hanzo looked again at the cowboy’s clothes and tensed in preparation to move, “Is that a profession of yours? Finding people? Like some type of bounty hunter?”

Joel was silent for a moment, “Pretty sure they don’t let people with bounties on ‘em become bounty hunters.” There was another moment of silence as they looked at each other, a strange tension settling between them, “More like a private eye I guess you could say. I find lost people and bring ‘em back.”

”I see. That is an interesting path.” Hanzo was hoping a light compliment would help defuse some of the tension. If he were to arouse suspicion – which he was sure he had already done – the best thing to do would be to try and steer the conversation to safer topics.

Joel scratched his beard, “It’s alright, pays pretty well. You know, you’re a smart guy. Pretty good fighter too if what I saw in that bar was any clue. What do _you_ do for a livin’?”

“I used to teach martial arts, now I am on a vacation to see more of the world. I will have to return soon.”

”That’s too bad. I was hopin’ to see more of you.” He leaned forward, closer to Hanzo.

Hanzo didn’t move, “Didn’t you say you were leaving tonight?”

”People can see more of each other in one day.” He said with a wink.

”You are overstepping, Cassidy-san.” Hanzo’s words were a sharp warning.

Joel sat up and nodded, “Fair enough, I was just messin’ around.” He seemed to suddenly notice the food in Hanzo’s lap. He pointed to it and asked, “What’s that?” 

Hanzo looked down at his now cold breakfast, “It’s a crepe.”

”Doesn’t look like one. Aren’t they supposed to be like thin pancakes?” asked Joel as he tried to give it a closer look.

”How long have you been in Japan?” Hanzo had a hard time believing that he could be here more than a few days and not have come across one by now.

Joel shrugged, “Not too long.”

On an impulse Hanzo tore the crepe in half and silently offered some to Joel.

”Oh! Why thank you Saito. I was gettin’ pretty hungry.” Joel happily took it and began eating with gusto, “I’m surprised it isn’t sweet. I thought stuff like this was supposed to have chocolate in it or somethin’.”

”You can order them that way, but this is my preference for breakfast. I’m surprised you have not had one. There are stands and restaurants all over the city.”

”I haven’t really had a chance to try much of the local food. Every time I get a second to have more than room service I have to save a handsom stranger.” He said around a mouth full.

This time Hanzo did roll his eyes, “Again, you did not save me.”

”I think it might actually kill ya’ to thank me.” Joel said with a smile.

”You talk very familiarly towards me even though we hardly know one another.” Hanzo took another bite of his crepe.

”What can I say? I’m a familiar type of guy.”

Hanzo noticed a small smile had curled the corners of his lips and stifled it. They ate in silence for a while as the two of them looked out on the city. Hanzo wondered why he felt somewhat relaxed around a man who dressed as a modern day cowboy. A gust of wind rustled the tree above them as they both ate the last few bites of their food.

”Hey you got a little something in your hair. I think it’s just cherry blossom petal.” Joel point to where it was on his own head.

Hanzo wiped off his hands before running his hands through his hair. He looked at Joel questioningly.

“Still there.” He said, now pointing at Hanzo’s hair this time.

Hanzo ran his hands through it again impatiently, this time shaking his head quickly too, “Gone?”

When Hanzo looked again Joel had a slight pink on his cheeks and he was smiling at Hanzo. The smile was brilliant and Hanzo felt his heart thump for a moment. He cleared his throat and was about to reiterate his question when a particularly strong wind blew and Joel had to grab onto his hat as more petals rained down on them.

When they cleared Hanzo looked again at Joel who had small pink petals in his hair and stuck to his red cape. Judging by the look Joel gave him, Hanzo was in a similar state.

”You have a little something in your hair.” Hanzo said lightly.

Joel laughed a full hearty laugh as he removed his hat and shook his hair out with one hand. Hanzo felt a strange giddiness rise up within him and he couldn’t stop himself for laughing too as they both tried to shake petals loose. The laughter began to die down and a strange cold almost like fear settled on Hanzo. He was getting far too comfortable with this man, letting his guard down too much. He grabbed the box and napkins and stood up.

Hanzo cleared his throat and said, “It was good to see you, Cassidy-san. I have things I need to attend to so I will take my leave.”

He turned and was about to leave when Joel stood up too, “Why don’t you and I meet at Legacy tonight for a drink before I go? My flight doesn’t leave till 9:30, so I’ll still have a good amount of time before I have to head out.”

”Perhaps we will meet again some other day, as I said before, I have things to attend to. Have a good day Cassidy-san.” He gave a polite smile and began to walk towards the stairs.

”Hold on a second,” Joel began to follow him, “You said somethin’ like that last night too, and it was luck that I happened to see you today. So, why don’t we exchange emails or somethin’ so we can stay in contact while we’re travelin’?”

Hanzo descended the stairs quickly but Joel was only a step or two behind him. Finally Hanzo stopped and turned back around to face him, “I will be traveling a lot for the foreseeable future, it is unlikely that I’m going to have time to write or respond to any emails.”

Joel smiled, “At least you have an email I can write to.”

Hanzo sighed, “You are relentless.”

”I’ve been told that.” He was silent for a moment, “Listen, I’m not tryin’ to make you or anythin’, but I like seein’ you and it seemed like you like seein' me. So, all I’m sayin’ is whenever you get where you’re goin’, you can write me. If you want.”

Joel pulled a pen from his pocket and a small note book from somewhere beneath his red cape and scrawled in quick messy handwriting before extending it to Hanzo. To his own surprise, Hanzo took it. The smile he got in return was as large and ridiculous as the man’s hat. Hanzo folded the paper and put it in his pocket, telling himself that he would throw it away later.

”Could I get yours too?” he extended the notebook and pen to Hanzo.

Hanzo took it and for a moment was at a loss. Should he write his real email? He couldn’t be too accurately traced through it, especially not with the amount of protection he had on his computer from his old Shimada days. Was there any harm in giving him and email address which he never looked at and would have no time for? He decided not and wrote his true email before handing it back to Joel.

”Alright, well…I guess I will be talkin’ to you later.” said Joel, still smiling.

”Perhaps.” conceded Hanzo “Have a good day, Cassidy-san.”

”You too, Saito.”

With that the two headed off in separate directions. In truth, Hanzo’s motel was in the same direction that Joel was heading, but he didn’t want to walk with him and have him somehow know the location he was staying at. It took Hanzo an additional 20 minutes to get back to his motel where he immediately opened up his laptop and began booking a ticket and place to stay in Nepal. If he was going to even consider the idea that the cyborg might be his brother, he would have to do more digging and Nepal was going to be his first stop.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter too. It was a fun one to write because of all the dialogue. My exams have been taking up a lot of my time so it was difficult to get it all out. Again, feel free to leave comments and follow me on tumblr at http://overfucker.tumblr.com/
> 
> Thanks again for reading!


	3. Truths

2 a.m. the next morning Hanzo landed in Nepal. It was a fairly uneventful trip with the exception of a small dispute with a man from the TSA who questioned why he wanted to bring Storm Bow with him. Hanzo had to rifle through his things to find the paper work he had gotten forged which stated that the bow was an antique and could not be used. The only reason it was being taken with him was because of it’s value and frailty. The exchanged ended soon after Hanzo asked the man who could possibly use a bow in that day and age.

His hotel room was far more comfortable than the motel he had come from since he didn’t have to be as wary of being recognized and could use his card and false identification. His bounty was world wide but around the time he returned every year there was a greater influx of bounty hunters in Hanamura, many of whom were often times more dangerous than Se Jun and his men. He remembered one year he had to rip an omnic bounty hunter’s arm off and use it as a weapon against two more. Thankfully the arm had a gun built into it and one of the omnics had snapped his bowstring. Old musings aside, he had never been to Nepal and doubted anyone would be looking for him here.

He set his luggage down inside the room’s only closet before pulling his tablet out of his carry on bag. He felt sleep tug at his mind but decided to recheck the information he had found about the temple the cyborg had been seen at. It was an omnic temple, home to the Shambali monks who were preachers of peace between the omnics and the humans. He wondered why the cyborg had come here, perhaps he felt at home among the metallic monks. Regardless, he would visit there tomorrow morning and gather as much information as he could. If this Overwatch agent truly wanted him to call and walk directly into their hands, he would need to know for certain that he wasn’t offering up his life.

He only managed to keep his eyes open for another 15 minutes before he could not ignore his drooping lids and heavy limbs anymore. His sleep was restless and plagued with the dreams of his former life as head of the Shimada. He started awake to the familiar sharp pain in his legs. He clasped the metal limbs and tried to tell himself that they truly weren’t there. It had been a long time since he had struggled with the phantom pain. He supposed that with the surprise return of his supposed brother old memories and wounds were bound to resurface. It took him a long time to calm himself enough to fall back asleep but he only managed another hour before he could no longer keep himself in bed. He looked at the clock and let out a frustrated grunt as the readout informed him he had only managed to sleep till 7. Even if he were in Hanamura that would be very early.

He sat up, and resigned himself to a terrible start to the day. Rubbing his eyes, he went to take a bath and hopefully rid himself of some of the stress he already felt settling between his shoulder blades. While he let the tub fill he sat on the rim to remove his prosthetics before settling into the warm water. They were waterproof and the weight his legs used to be, but he had grown to appreciate a bath without them. It made him feel cleaner knowing that he had bathed his whole body, he needed to clean them separately anyways. _Another time._ The warm water of the bath soothed him so that by the time he was done he felt some of the tension dissipate. After reattaching his lower legs he took a moment to make sure that they were on correctly before going over to the room phone and ordering breakfast up and requesting it be left in the hall. After his truly excessive interactions with the cowboy - _Joel_ \- he was determined to remain focused this time and distance himself from any and all distractions.

Breakfast arrived promptly and he ate and dressed in only a few minutes. He wore his scarf today and his heavier coat so that he could hide several throwing knives under his shirt without the shape being too obvious. He looked again at the time and saw that it was 8:22, he hoped that the temple’s occupants were about at this time. He had allowed himself the luxury for having a hotel near the temple so the walk only took him half an hour to reach the city at the lower reach of the temple where many people lived. The town looked old and broken in many places, yet another grim reminder of the omnic crisis. He briefly wondered why they didn’t rebuild especially with the Shambali so close. The city was not awake yet, but several people were out front of shops and restaurants setting up for the day ahead. He followed the map on his phone along a winding walking path which led steadily up the mountain. Luckily, by the time he arrived there were already many monks in the courtyard. The temple was enormous with large golden floating statues of monks with their hands outstretched in different positions to exemplify the different teachings of the Shambali. The monastery's walls were a stark white with long golden banners stretching almost the length of each wall. It was beautiful and bright gleaming against the blue and purple streaks of the morning sky. He was momentarily awestruck by the scenery before he reminded himself of what he was here for. 

He did a quick scan of the monks to try and find the one he had seen in the picture. There were many different types of omnics in the robes of the monistary but none of them floated and had nine orbs about their shoulders. He began to walk around, not wanting to engage the other monks unless necessary. If everything went smoothly he would be able to find the monk, get the information he needed, and would leave with the rest of the day to plan his next move or begin going underground if the cyborg truly had ulterior motives. He passed through a garden with flowers that shouldn’t be able to grow in such a cold climate. There were two omnics tending to them, one floating with two orbs and the other standing with none. The standing omnic plucked one of the flowers and laid it atop the other one’s head. There was a pause before the both laughed in strange mechanical voices the standing monk slapping his knee a few times. The floating omnic took notice of Hanzo and waved, still not removing the flower from his head, seemingly content to have it remain there.

”Peace be upon you, traveler.” He called out to him.

Hanzo bowed slightly and continued on around the garden. He followed the wall of the temple till he reached the back of the building. There was a large empty courtyard blanketed in snow. A small rounded gazebo made from white stone with gold and blue trim perched at the edge of a cliff overlooking the city below. Inside hovered the omnic Hanzo had been looking for with his back to him. Hanzo walked towards him cautiously, he could see that the monk’s head was bowed and the orbs that had resided about his neck were now slowly revolving around him in a large circle. Every so often one of them would illuminate with a soft golden glow and a letter would rise from them in a language he could not read. Hanzo was a foot away from the omnic when he lifted his head and the orbs flew back to his neck. He turned around and met Hanzo’s gaze.

”Peace be upon you, traveler.” He said in a level tone. 

”Hello.” Hanzo said simply. 

From where he stood Hanzo could now see the remains of the ruined city just below the cliff’s edge.

”I am called Zenyatta. Is there something that I may help you with?”

”I am looking for someone. A green cyborg. I have it on good authority that he visited with you recently.”

The omnic was silent for a long moment. A breeze kicked up and swept Hanzo’s scarf over his shoulder and towards the omnic. Finally he answered, “You need not be afraid to face the truth which you already know, Hanzo Shimada.”

Hanzo felt himself tense but kept all traces of his surprise hidden. He said nothing.

”Your brother spoke of you often. He kept a picture of you both in his room. It was one of the few things he brought with him when he first arrived here. I recognize many elements of your face from it, though you have aged.”

Hanzo felt a spike of irritation rise up but kept a tight hold of himself. He crossed his arms and took a breath to calm his mind, “It is the curse of humans to age. Tell me of the cyborg and what he was doing here.”

“Aging is no curse, Hanzo Shimada. It is one of the beauties of life that all things change and become new each day.” Hanzo said nothing and Zenyatta nodded once to himself, “My pupil stayed here under my tutelage for a long time. I guided him on his journey to find peace within himself for the new man he had become. I see in you a similar darkness which once threatened to consume your brother.”

Hanzo could not stop the sudden anger which burst forth, “We are nothing alike!”

He grit his teeth as Zenyatta simply stared back at him impassively. Who was this _creature_ to presume to know his family or his mind. It didn’t take long for Hanzo’s anger to begin to subside. The blank stare from the omnic made his emotional reaction seem ridiculous in comparison. He felt a pang of embarrassment but kept it too hidden.

”What are you hoping to learn from me, Hanzo Shimada?” Just beyond them Hanzo could see that it was beginning to snow.

”Can you prove to me that this cyborg is truly Genji?”

The church bells sounded in the town below. Their low hollow sound rumbling up the mountain.

The words Zenyatta spoke made the bells seem silent, "You need only search within yourself to know that he is. Your brother is alive.”

Hanzo felt something cold settled in his gut, almost like fear. He knew it was true, he had been running from it, hoping that he could find any other explanation. Somehow the thought of someone impersonating Genji and trying to kill him was a more soothing than this. At least the world would still be as it had been. As perhaps it should be. With him endlessly seeking some sort of atonement through his solitude and his travels. He felt himself begin to sweat. He felt guilt choke him that he had just wished for even a moment that Genji had stayed dead. He now had to go forward knowing that the brother he had killed he would now have to face. How could he ask for forgiveness from him? The brother who had murdered with his own two hands. He felt another episode coming as the echoes rung through his head, bouncing off the walls of his mind. He had to fight to keep himself steady as the world seemed to shake about him and nausea rose up within him. Suddenly Zenyatta’s orbs began to glow and encircle the both of them. Hanzo drew one of his knives, preparing to strike down the monk, when he felt himself begin to relax. The fear and dizziness dissipated as though swept away by the breeze and warmth filled him. A single golden thought shone in his mind: a chance for redemption. Hanzo swallowed a strange lump in his throat and looked at Zenyatta who extended his hand out to Hanzo with his palm up.

”You are a good man, Hanzo Shimada. There is still much in your future.”

The words struck him, though he would not admit it. He replaced his knife and huffed a scoff, “I was not aware monks could see into the future.”

”We cannot.” He affirmed, his hand still outstretched.

Hanzo looked down on the city, which was now slowly being covered in a layer of snow, and back at Zenyatta’s hand, “I must go. Thank you for the information you have given me. It was very helpful.”

Zenyatta lowered his hand and rested it on his knee, “You are most welcome. I will be leaving the temple tomorrow, but if you need any assistance in your time here, my fellow monks are always welcoming to travelers. I will see to it that, should you need them, they will help you all they can.”

Hanzo nodded his thanks and turned to leave back the way he had come. As he followed the wall a gong sounded and he could see monks begin to head into the temple. Hanzo would have continued down back to his hotel but out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of red. He turned and saw the unmistakable outfit of Joel Cassidy, his red cape gently rustling in the wind. He had his back turned and seemed to be talking to one of the few standing omnic. He hadn’t seen Hanzo yet so he quickly turned back the way he had come and scaled part of the temple wall to crouch in an open ornamental window high above the the ground.

_What could he be doing here?_ It was truly too much of a coincidence that he would see him in Japan and Nepal. There was something going on, this man had to be more than what he let on to follow him here without Hanzo noticing. He was so careful of pursuers and bounty hunters that the man must truly be skilled in stealth. Perhaps Hanzo was being too careless in allowing himself to stay so close and using identification at his hotel. More importantly, was he truly a bounty hunter? If that were true, why help him against the bounty hunters in Hanamura? Surely he had had opportunity since then to capture him, especially when the two of them were sitting in his meditation spot. With no people around that would have been the idea place to have attempted to attack him. 

He watched as Joel said something more to the omnic before turning back towards where Hanzo had been. Hanzo kept as still and quiet as he could, cursing the golden scarf which waved in the air. Joel did not seem to notice him as he passed beneath him and walked towards the gazebo Zenyatta still hovered within. Hanzo’s curiosity was roused and he waited for Joel to get a few feet in front of him before he silently dropped down. He allowed Joel to reach Zenyatta before he snuck along the wall and hid behind a large pillar which supported an archway near the back entrance. It was difficult to hear much of what they were saying but the two clearly seemed to know one another judging by their relaxed posture and the way that they immediately began a conversation. The wind died down and Hanzo could hear better for the time being.

”-so I ended up here a day early. Do you think you could be ready to go a little sooner and we could head out tonight instead? I have another stop off to make before I head back but I figured you might like to see Germany.” Joel was saying.

 _How could this strange cowboy have come to know one of the Shambali? One who seemed to be a fairly prominent at that?_ Although, it seemed as if Joel wasn’t here to pursue Hanzo but instead to take Zenyatta with him to Germany of all places. Although, that didn't seem to be their final destination. He had given Joel’s detective abilities too much credit. It would have been truly amazing if he had been able to follow him here. Regardless, Hanzo couldn’t ignore how strange it was that they would both be here at the same time to talk to the same monk. He had said that he was leaving tomorrow. Had he been waiting for Joel to come and collect him? The wind stirred up and Zenyatta’s reply was swept away in it.

There was a moment’s pause, “I hear ya. Well then you just let me know whenever you’re ready and we can head out.” Joel turned and seemed about to leave when he stopped and said over his shoulder, “Sorry to hear about Mondatta.”

The omnic’s shoulders seemed to slump slightly, “We did not always agree, but he was a close friend. I miss him greatly.”

Joel nodded solemnly before walking back the way he had come. Hanzo waited a few moments to make sure he would not be coming back before emerging from hiding. Joel was clearly more than he had let on, but what had all of that meant? What was his connection with Zenyatta and perhaps even Genji. He had come to collect his teacher after all and was even in Japan suspiciously close to when Hanzo had reconnected with his brother. He needed to be wary of this man, Joel could prove to be a larger threat than Hanzo had realized. There were far too many uncertainties in his life and Hanzo didn’t need another, he must avoid the cowboy at all costs. He looked back at Zenyatta, considering asking the monk what their connection was, but he had turned back towards the city. His head bowed and the orbs beginning their slow cycle around him once more. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey all, so I went back over some of my last chapters and caught a few mistakes and fixed them up. I do my best to catch things during my read throughs but sometimes I miss a few. Feel free to let me know if you catch one since I don't have a proof reader. Either way, I really like this chapter because it had a lot of cool visuals which I hope translated well. Thank you everyone who has been reading a leaving comments, I really appreciate it! The next chapter will have a lot more McCree and Hanzo interactions so I hope you enjoy it.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on tumblr at overfucker.tumblr.com!


	4. Announcement

Hey everyone, thanks for reading my story till now. I have been traveling and now I'm home but having some personal problems right now and I may not be able to update for a while. I appreciate all of your patience and I hope you will continue reading after my brief hiatus.


	5. The Chase

Hanzo awoke the next morning to his tablet’s blinking notification light too close to his face. He must have fallen asleep before putting it away. Lately he had just been off, although he supposed he could attribute some of that to the sudden resurrection of the brother he murdered. He squinted his eyes and then groggily reached out for it, mostly intent on stopping the blinking and returning to sleep. He rolled onto his back so that he was in a more comfortable position before entering in his passcode. The notification was an email and the screen’s bright light was the only reason Hanzo opened it without looking to see who could have sent something to his real email address.

_Good Morning Mr. Saito-_

Hanzo furrowed his brow and blinked a few times, still trying to wake up enough to understand what he was reading. He looked back up at the email address it had been sent from, a name popped into his head. He had almost forgotten he had given Joel a real way to contact him. He thought for a moment about whether or not he should read it, considering he was trying to cut ties with the suspicious cowboy. _Although_ , he supposed _the message might offer some clue as to what Joel was doing here._ He doubted that he would come out and say that he was following him - if that were truly why he had come to Nepal - but it might help him figure out how truthful the man had been. The exchange Hanzo had overheard between Joel and Zenyatta had seemed genuine but without being able to hear the whole conversation he could not know for sure. He continued reading.

_\- or evening depending on what time you get this. I just wanted to let you know that I’m going to be traveling some and I might nto be able to keep in touch as much as I had hoped. Anyways!! I just got to my next town and it is really pretty here, I might send you a picture or 2 cuz it is just about the prettiest thing that I have ever seen!! Maybe you could send me one of where you’re at and we can compare. The food here is pretty good, I’ve never eaten a lot of it but it is tasty as hell. A lot of it is vegetarian which is okay but I’m more of a meat man usually. Are you a vegetarian?? I heard a lotof people actually are in hanamura? Well, hope you’re having a good trip._

_Joel Cassidy ;)_

Hanzo sighed. Nothing useful. Joel certainly had a way of saying a lot but revealing very little. He doubted that the pictures he had promised to send would be anything useful or telling either, he might as well have not opened the message.

Hanzo looked at the time and decided that it was too early and he was not yet ready to call his brother. He went back to sleep and by the time he woke up again it was nearly noon. He stretched and wished he could adjust to time changes as quickly as he had when he was younger. He looked up the time in Liberia: 6:00 a.m. He wondered if Genji was having the same problem he was adjusting to new time zones. He decided it didn’t matter and that it would be better to call when he was sure he would be awake. He decided instead to go for a run to help wake himself up, also it had been a few days since his last proper work out. He dressed in long warm clothes which he hoped would be enough to shield him from the wind which he could hear howling outside. He tied his scarf a little closer to his head to help decrease it’s flapping behind him. He fine tuned the adjustments on his prosthetics before heading out. 

The sun was bright but it did little to warm the chill air. The city was alive and bustling much to Hanzo’s dismay. Running through crowds was not as enjoyable as an open space. He remembered the beautiful temple and view from the Shambali monastery and decided that the path up had been empty enough and the incline should prove a decent warm up. He began to run towards it but the continued interruptions from people going about their morning activities made him want to use some of his flashier skills to get over and around them, though that would definitely call too much attention. He had found Zenyatta through a picture on some social media site, he didn’t doubt someone would take one of him as he scaled a wall to run along roof tops.

By the time he arrived on the path he was beginning to feel an irritation head ache build in his temples. He tried to put all other thoughts to the side and focus more on the run and the view. Soon the fresh mountain air and the fun of a run without being chased began to lift his spirits. His mind kept trying to tug him back and remind him of what he should say to his brother but he actually found himself thinking about Joel. What was his interest in Hanzo, really? He certainly had made his attraction obvious, or perhaps that was how he behaved towards everyone. He did say he was a familiar type of man. Hanzo pictured Joel frantically collecting numbers and email addresses from everyone he met, the image making him snort. This man was certainly a strange one but he hoped not that strange. Although, it was none of his business, of course. A strong gust of wind greeted him as he rounded a bend. Despite the wind, Hanzo was grateful for the weather. Now that he was running faster the chill wind kept him from heating up too much. He had always preferred the colder weather as had most of his family except for Genji who used to complain at how cold Hanzo kept their room. Genji used to tease him and tell him that that was because he had a cold heart to match. The memory stung more than he had expected.

He continued up the trail, letting his mind wander while his body pushed him further and harder. He felt sweat begin to form, only to be cooled instantly. By the time he had made it to the monastery he was breathing hard ready for the start back down which would be much easier. He took a moment to jog along the outer ledge near the entrance, again taking in the view. He didn’t know how much longer he would be here but the temple was certainly something he did not want to forget. He considered jogging around the temple but it felt disrespectful. He was about to head back down when he saw them out of the corner of his eye. Zenyatta and Joel, who seemed to be talking animatedly about something, emerged from a small door just right of the main entrance. Hanzo was sure they hadn’t seen him yet, he couldn’t explain to Joel why he was here. He had to run for it. Just as he began to turn back to the entrance an omnic called out to him from just a few steps behind him, “Peace be upon you traveler.”

Hanzo turned in time to see Joel glance in his direction, cut himself off mid sentence, and stared at right at him. Hanzo hoped for a vain instant that he did not recognize him but as soon as Joel began to move towards him Hanzo gave up that thought. Abandoning all subtlety Hanzo vaulted over the banister at the edge of the monastery’s front and began to scale quickly down the mountain to the lower pathway. Hanzo dropped the last few feet just as Joel hit the banister above him, clearly thinking he had fallen to his death. Hanzo didn’t dare look back at him as he started to sprint with all the strength he could manage down the path. He heard Joel call out to him once but he ignored him and continued on. So much for a relaxing run where he wasn’t chased. A little ways behind him he heard a thud, chancing a glance over his shoulder he saw that Joel had somehow climbed after him and was now beginning to run towards him. _Oh for God’s sake._ Hanzo increased his speed but Joel was faster than he gave him credit for and kept up behind him. The two ran along the path for a while and Hanzo could feel himself slowing a bit. He decided that he would have to find another way out or Joel would catch up to him. Hanzo had been running for almost an hour and a half by the time he had reached the monastery and Joel seemed to have good enough stamina to keep up with him for a while. Hanzo turned hard around the next bend and quickly began climbing up. Joel rounded the corner a few seconds later, “Hey! Stop!”

Once he was a good deal over Joel’s head, Hanzo brought his legs up, tensed his body and pushed off the wall. Launching himself backwards over Joel and past the path. He began to fall just far enough to be out of reach from the place Joel stood before flipping and grabbing hold of the wall. Several rocks slid out from under him but he managed to get a solid enough grip so that he could look down at his options. The wall was not as steep here and was more covered in snow, his best chance would be to slide down and hope that the slope would lead all the way to the city as it seemed to. Hanzo was just about to let go and allow himself to be carried down when he heard Joel shout from above him.

"Just wait a second, will ya!" He puffed for a moment, "Who in the hell are you?” the anger in his voice was what made Hanzo look back up.

Joel was breathing hard, one hand gripping the railing the other hung over the edge suspiciously towards Hanzo. The wind rustled his clothes and Hanzo could see sweat on the man's face. His red cape and tan skin were a dark slash of color against the snow, but his fiery eyes were really what caught Hanzo's attention. They blazed with an intensity that Hanzo hadn't seen in him before. 

Hanzo knew he had to say something to make this man stop pursuing him. He didn't need anymore to on his shoulders, “I am no one you need to care about. Forget about me. This will be the last time we meet.”

That was clearly not the right thing to say because Joel’s eyes darkened.

“Not if I’ve got anything to say about it, partner! I got some questions you’ve gotta answer. Get your ass back up here!” Joel tensed for a moment and looked about to grab for Hanzo and try to pull him back up so he let go.

”Saito!” the anger changed to surprise as Hanzo slid down the long stretch between Joel and the city. He had to pitch hard to the side once to avoid hitting a large rock which jutted out from the snow before he came to a very cold wet stop a few feet behind a building. He looked back and could see the bright red cape Joel wore flapping in the breeze. His hand clasped his hat to stop it from blowing off his head. He stared down at Hanzo and seemed like he was saying something. Hanzo couldn’t make it out and instead turned and disappeared within the crowded city.

He took a convoluted rout home to make certain that he wasn’t being followed. He hoped Joel wasn't stupid enough to try and slide down after him but after that exchange he wasn't sure. After he was sure he was alone he decided to continue the rest of his work out back at his hotel to help work a few thoughts out of his head, like the way Joel had looked at him with dark eyes and cheeks made pink from the cold and exertion or perhaps anger. Once back he immediately began with a few sets of push ups before beginning to do plank push ups but he simply couldn’t stop thinking about it. He was getting frustrated again. He decided to shower eat and call his brother.

***

Hanzo sat with his ankles tucked underneath him as he stared at the phone resting on the bed in front of him. _I should just do it and talk in whatever way seems natural. Conversations can’t be effectively planned. Especially when Genji is concerned._ He had been telling himself that for the past twenty minutes. He reached out and opened the phone, feeling a wave of dizziness start to take over him he grasp at the thought Zenyatta had given him: A chance for redemption. He tried to breathe in and out slowly through his mouth as he dialed the numbers. The line rang for a few moments and Hanzo wondered if he was going to pick up.

”Hello?” The person who picked up was not Genji. This person didn’t even have the same synthetic tone which his brother now possessed.

”Who is this?”

”My name is Winston, may I ask who is calling.”

Who the hell was _Winston_ , ”Where is Genji?”

There was a moment of silence, “Oh! You must be Genji’s brother. Hanzo Shimada, right?”

Hanzo didn’t like this, “Put Genji on.”

"I was hoping I could talk to you for a moment before you do. You see I'm the new head of Overwatch and-”

”Have Genji call me.” And with that Hanzo hung up. Whoever that person was, he didn’t trust them, especially if they really were the new head of Overwatch. Mostly he didn’t like that they knew his name.

A few seconds later Hanzo’s phone rang. When he picked up Genji’s new voice spoke clearly in his ear, “You were very rude to Winston, brother.”

Hanzo felt himself bristle, “You expect me to speak openly to someone whom I can’t see and have never met?”

Switching to Japanese Genji said in a scolding manner, “I had almost forgotten how paranoid you were. You won't speak to someone just because you have never been introduced?”

Hanzo sighed, this was not the way he had hoped this would be going, “I have become more so over the years. On more than one occasion my _paranoia_ has kept me alive.”

Genji made a strange sound like he was huffing a laugh but it was distorted, “Always so dramatic.”

Hanzo felt his heart clench at the fondness he heard, “I’m glad you are alright. I don't know what to say." There was a long pause where neither of them spoke, "I am so sorry.”

Genji's response was almost immediate, “You are forgiven, brother. I have waited a long time to hear you say that.”

After waiting so many years for forgiveness the words sounded hollow and too easily earned. He swallowed, “Thank you.” His words sounded quiet.

”Listen Hanzo, I want you to come to me. We can talk more here, we have much to discuss.”

”You mean with Overwatch?” the words sounded more accusatory than he had intended. 

Genji answered in a level tone, “Yes, with Overwatch. I have been working for them for several years now. It is also where I live currently.”

Hanzo kept himself in check but his brother’s calmness annoyed him. His brother had certainly changed, “I want to meet in a more neutral area. Come meet me back in Hanamura.”

Genji laughed, “You call that neutral? I can’t leave right now anyway, we are working on something very important which I cannot discuss over the phone. Come here and we can talk about it.”

Hanzo didn’t like this. It was too dangerous but it might be his only chance to see his brother. Also, if he didn’t go what else would he do? Continue to roam the world but now without even the purpose of returning to Hanamura each year?

”I promise you brother, the team here will treat you with the utmost respect and hospitality. We will even buy your plane ticket.” Genji continued. 

Hanzo scrubbed a hand over his face, he had no choice. “Alright.”

”Alright?” Genji seemed surprised at the ease at which his brother had agreed, “Good! Well then,” He said something to someone off the phone before speaking again to him in English, “We will get your tickets sent to you in the next hour. It will probably a short notice flight so expect to be leaving at latest by tomorrow.”

”You seem to be in quite a rush.”

”We have much to discuss and very little time to do so. We will speak again when you arrive. Have a good night brother.”

”You as well.”

Hanzo barely got the words out before the line dropped. Despite the abrupt end Hanzo felt happy. The conversation had gone well and talking together had come easier than he thought it would. He set his phone down and stood up to stretch a little. Things were not good between them but he caught a glimpse of the future he and his brother might possess. One where they were together again, home, and able to pick back up the life that was ruined. He felt his mood deflate, that _he_ had ruined.

The notification sound on his tablet rung out loudly in the silent room.

_That was faster than I expected_

He entered in his passcode and opened up his email to see a new message from Joel. Hanzo looked down at it, again seeing his eyes but now hearing the worry under the surprise as Hanzo slid away from him. Without more thought about it he opened the message.

_Well, I’m not sure if your real name is Saito or if this is even your real email address or not but I’m going to find out. I thought it was too much of a coincidence that you showed up so much near my missions and now that I caught up with you today I know for sure. I’m no one to fuck with, so you better watch your back because whoever you are, you got me on your tail now._

Hanzo groaned aloud. Could this guy be anymore of a hindrance? He clearly hadn’t been following him before but now he was going to start and if this guy’s real profession was finding people, then he might be trouble. The notification on his tablet sounded again. He pulled it up and saw an email from what looked to be an official Overwatch address. He scanned his itinerary and saw that his flight would be boarding in 4 hours so he would have to leave right now. He scoffed, letting his pride get the better of him for a moment. He was going to be out of the area in a short amount of time, leaving Joel almost no time to track him, he was also a highly trained assassin going to a base of super agents. He had talked to almost no one since he had been here and even if he were to get the information from Zenyatta he doubted that he would be able to get anything useful. No more information than your average bounty hunter would have, His real name, his face, and where he was last seen. On a whim he picked up his tablet and sent an email back to Joel with two words.

_Good Luck._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, thank you all so much for your encouragement and support during my brief hiatus. Thankfully things have been cleared up and I am able to post again. This time I'm not going to be sticking to such a rigid schedule because I was producing work which I wasn't happy with and that hadn't been workshopped enough. I've taken some time to reevaluate the direction of the story and I hope you all will like it. I'm very excite for you all to ready the next chapter, thanks again for reading.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on tumblr for updates and if you have any questions or anything to say you can leave a comment or message me there. 
> 
> http://overfucker.tumblr.com


	6. Reunion

Hanzo called a cab soon after sending his email to Joel. Packing his things he quickly untied his hair and put on a black hoodie and pair of baggy jeans to better hide his figure. Pulling the hood up he grabbed the case containing Storm Bow and his bags before quietly leaving the room. He checked out and waited for the cab to arrive in one of the large plush chairs in the lobby, all the while keeping an eye out for Joel. He made sure to slump low and be playing on his phone so that people would gloss over him as just a tired or solitary patron. He looked up at the woman who had checked him out from under his hood. She hed been glancing at him far too often and he knew that she would remember his name. If Joel were to come here looking for "Haruto Saito" she would be able to tell him without having to look it up that he had checked out. Worst case scenario she might be able to give a description of what he had been wearing. That would cost him minutes which could prove vital, if Joel was as good a tracker as he seemed he would be arriving soon in order to give Hanzo as little to put distance between them as possible. He had been too careless using his Haruto alias for this long. He would have to use it one more time to board the plane but after that he was going to adapt a new one. It felt like a bit of a shame. He had only used the name for a little while and now he would have to become accustomed to a new one. Then again, where he was going he might be able to use his real name again. The thought made him feel something strange, almost uncomfortable.

The cab driver texted him letting him know that it had just pulled up. Seconds later a group of tourists bustled through the front door and into the lobby talking loudly and already snapping pictures of the large entrance. Just beyond them Hanzo could see a large blue bus with the words " _See The World_ " written in large swooping silver letters. The archer grabbed his things and was walking to the door when he saw Joel striding smoothly up to the front, his hat was tip down over his eyes but Hanzo got the feeling that he was still scanning the crowd in front of him for any traces of Hanzo. The doors were glass and he was sure that Joel would notice if he suddenly turned around. Again he pulled out his phone tilted his head down to hide further under the hood and hair as he kept an even pace. Hanzo didn't see Joel go by him as he opened the door but the telltale jingling of his spurs told him as he entered through the revolving doors. Joel must have been too busy looking for him among the tourists and hotel guests to have noticed him. Hanzo hurried to his taxi and began loading his things in the trunk. He climbed in as calmly as he could, now wondering if perhaps he had been too cocky with his message. The man clearly seemed intent upon finding him and was obviously better at it than your average bounty hunter or Hanzo would have at least been at the airport by the time Joel had arrived. He exchanged a few words with the driver before and they began to pull away from the curb. Hanzo chanced a glance back towards Joel just before they drove off and saw just as the check out woman pointed out toward him and Joel whipped around. Fortunately the cab had already begun to move and Hanzo sighed in relief. He wasn't sure who Joel was or who he was working for, but Hanzo refused to be detained. He had a flight to catch and he couldn't afford to miss it for the sake of an adult man who dressed as a cowboy. 

As the cab sped towards the airport he thanked his good sense that he had not asked the hotel to call the cab for him. Now Joel will know that he left but he wouldn't know where to and if he somehow did manage to guess that he was flying out, there were too many airports for him to find Hanzo in time. Watching the scenery pass he was glad that he had left so soon. Now that he was thinking clearly he knew that he hadn't had long before Joel found him anyway. There were limited options for places to stay so close to the temple and Hanzo's clothes had obviously given away that he was within running distance. He sighed, _It seems I am still an arrogant fool._ His arrogance and his temper had been his biggest flaws as a leader, or so the elders had told him. He had worked hard to suppress these traits but clearly he had not done enough. He pulled his hood off so that could see around him more easily and tucked his hair behind his ears. It had been an old habit and part of the reason why he had been given his scarf. He put a hand over the scarf in his pocket and for a moment things all seemed very surreal, his scarf felt as though it was the only thing tying him to reality. He was sitting in the back seat of a cab, avoiding a cowboy, and on his way to visit his cyborg brother who had come back from the dead, and who was working with a famed government organization who had worked tirelessly to bring his family down. _If this did not feel unreal then that would probably be a greater cause for concern._ he reasoned. Strangely, this thought calmed him and he felt himself relax ever so slightly almost wishing that he could close his eyes, instead he stared glassy eyed out of the window as the world flew by him.

***

The flight had been a thankful uneventful one, although the cramped seats of the economy class left him stiff by the time he had landed. Certainly a large scale government agency could afford better than these seats. Even his false aliases had allowed him to fly in business class. He stretched lightly as he waited through passport control, the now usual thrum of anxiety began to course through him at the thought of seeing Genji waiting for him outside. He moved quickly through the line and baggage check before going out to look for his brother. He was sure that he could find a green cyborg among the crowd easily. Only a few people clustered around the exit making it even easier to look for him, his anxiety disappeared as he saw a woman with a sign which read "Hanzo Shimada" on it. She was a tall woman with dark skin and short black hair. She wore a blue shirt, a black thick jacket, and a white beanie, but what was most noticeable about her were the golden beads which hung from two braids which from a tattoo spread out from under her eye. He rushed over to her and snatched the sign out of her hands. 

"Are you crazy?" He asked her, "Don't advertise that name."

The woman looked at him with surprise before smiling in a way that gave Hanzo the distinct impression that she thought she was dealing with a spoiled child. "I take it you're Hanzo Shimada. I'm Fareeha Amari," she pulled aside he jacket to show an Overwatch identification badge pinned to her shirt, "I'm here to drive you back to the base."

Hanzo looked at her and handed her sign back, "Where is Genji?"

She shrugged, "He got tied up with something and asked me to come get you instead."

She spoke with an accent, though it was not thick Hanzo noted. "Alright, will you give me a moment to use the rest room? I don't know how long the ride will be."

Fareeha nodded, "Okay, It will be a long ride so that's probably a good idea, anyway." she reached out a hand to him "You want me to take your bags?"

Hanzo picked them up easily, "No. Thank you. I will be back in a moment."

Once out of sight Hanzo pulled out his phone and called Genji, "Do you know a Fareeha Amari? She claims to be here to bring me to you."

Genji laughed on the other end, "You are insane." was all he said before hanging up.

Hanzo resists the temptation to break the phone in his hand. Genji was as irritating as ever.

***

Once in the car Fareeha informed him that it would be a few hours so he should try to get comfortable. Hanzo did not relax and instead kept his senses about him incase this woman did anything suspicious. Although he did his best, the day was starting to take it's toll on him and he longed for sleep and solitude.

After about 20 minutes of terse silence Fareeha slightly turned toward him, "So, how was your flight?"

"Cramped." Hanzo kept his gaze straight ahead.

"Oh, that sucks. You aren't really a fan of flying, then?"

"I do not mind flying. I just do not enjoy flying in what amounts to 10 centimeters of room."

"Yeah, flying commercially is that way."

Hanzo didn't have anything to say back so the conversation trailed off. For a long while they continued to ride in silence till Fareeha turned on the radio. The radio boasted having the best selection of the last 50 years before launching into a song that was sweet and slow.

***

The ride passed quickly after he and Fareeha found the common ground of marksmanship. At first Hanzo had given her short clipped answers but soon her persistent innocuous questioning wore him down and she managed to find out that archery was something he had practiced. After he abandoned any hope the he would be left alone he actually found that she had a lot of interesting things to say about some different techniques to deal with long range shooting. She did the majority of the talking, which was what Hanzo had preferred anyway. She used to do some archery in her youth with her mother but switched to something a little stronger as she had gotten older. He glanced at her muscled arms and guessed that it was some sort of high powered rifle. They had been driving outside the city for nearly two hours. The nature around was truly lovely, they drove along a mountain for much of their trip but he could see further ahead that the scenery on the other side of them lead towards the ocean. In some ways it reminded Hanzo of the more rural mountainous areas of Japan he had traveled to in the first years of his journey.

"Well, here we are."

Hanzo followed her line of sight, the glare from the setting sun made it difficult to see but after a few seconds of focus he realized that what he thought was a continuation of the mountain was actually made out of metal and false stone. As they drew closer he could make out antenna and buildings sticking up out of the false rock formation which surrounded what he assumed was the Overwatch base. 

Fareeha glanced at him behind the sunglasses she had put on, "Don't worry. It's not as intimidating as it looks."

Hanzo scoffed and leaned back in his chair, "I have yet to be intimidated."

Fareeha smiled, "You're a funny guy."

They continued to drive till the rock face of the base towered above them. Fareeha guided them along the wall for close to 25 meters after the road ended till she came to a mark painted on the wall which was no larger than Hanzo's hand. She pulled up beside it and rolled down her window. Hanzo leaned over so that he could see it more clearly. It looked like a white and yellow circle with two lines coming up each edge toward the center of the circle. Fareeha unclipped her badge and placed it up against the mark. A small bell chimed the section of rock around the circle slid away to reveal a microphone.

Fareeha leaned forward and spoke clearly into the microphone, "Pharah Security Code 05238 dot 007. Passenger present. Code 989N3."

Another chime sounded and and the panel slid back into place. Suddenly the wall split and moved inward before sliding out of the way. Fareeha turned into the opening. They were immediately greeted by the view of a large court yard flanked by several buildings which followed to a large hangar. 

"Don't worry," she said with a slight smile, "We will get you an access code too so that you can get in and out by yourself." Hanzo wasn't concerned, he knew he could climb these walls easily. Though, a code might be easier and less time consuming. She drove into the hangar and began to slow as Hazno looked around the space. Large crates and sheets were spread everywhere, but the most eye catching of all was a small space ship which hung suspended by two platforms above them. Fareeha pulled her car to the side just beneath it before parking and turning to him. 

"Very cool, right?" she said with a mischievous look.

Hanzo looked at her and could see the earnestness beneath her bravado, "You seem more amazed by it than me."

Her smile faltered a bit, "It has been a long time since I have been here. It is nice to be back." She perked up as a door on the other side of the hangar opened, "Oh! Here comes your welcome party."

Hanzo turned and felt his stomach tighten. Genji walked in accompanied by a young dark skinned man with his hair in dreads, a thin pale woman with blond hair, and - strangest of all - a Gorilla. His brother was forgotten momentarily as he stared at the gorilla who seemed to be clad in some type of space suit. It smiled at him and waved which did nothing to change Hanzo's apprehensions, which were growing by the moment. Fareeha got out and Hanzo did the same, although somewhat reluctantly. Genji walked over to him and Hanzo tensed. He was not sure what to expect, this all gelt a little too much for him. He felt the urge to run from here and return to his life of solitude but he gathered himself and found solace in stoicism.

"Welcome to the Overwatch base, brother." Genji spoke clearly in English, presumably so that everyone could understand. His accent was still present but Hanzo could tell that he had gotten much better since his terrible classes in school.

"Thank you." Hanzo made sure to stand straight and look proper. He didn't know what kind of an impression he was hoping to leave on these people, but he knew that it wasn't a weak one.

Genji clapped him once hard on the shoulder his new strength almost making him stumble, "Come on, there is no need to look so serious. You are in my home."

"Uh yes... I'm sorry for disturbing you." Hanzo wasn't sure what to say to that so he fell back on tradition. He eyed the gorilla as Fareeha began to pull his things from the trunk.

Genji sighed, "It is no trouble. Come. I will introduce you to everyone and then you and I can go talk."

Hanzo could only nod as Genji walked with him to the group waiting just a few feet away from them. "Everyone, this is my brother Hanzo Shimada." This was met with polite smiles as his brother brought him to the gorilla first, which was likely a wise choice as Hanzo wouldn't be able to look at anyone else, "This is Winston. He is the acting head of Overwatch and also a technical genius. He is in charge of most of the affairs around the base."

Hanzo looked up at him as the gorilla smiled. So, this had been the person he had been talking with on the phone. _Well, not person exactly._

"It is nice to meet you, Shimada-san. Genji has told us a lot about you. I'm glad you could make it." Winston said while adjusting his glasses.

"Thank you for allowing me to impose." Hanzo said with a polite smile, his manors picking up while the idea of him speaking casually to a gorilla still rattled his mind.

"Oh! It's no trouble at all! If you need anything just let me know." Winston laughed happily.

Genji gestured to the woman beside him, "This is Angela Ziegler. She is our resident doctor and medical technician. She is quite the genius, I owe her my life."

Hanzo's gaze snapped to her at that. The look she gave Genji was soft and familiar, one that he had seen women aim towards his brother many times when they were young. Surprising that some things don't change. He extended his hand to her, "Thank you for letting me intrude upon you."

She smiled at him with an unexpected warmth, "It is no trouble at all. We are happy that you were able to make it. Hopefully I will not be seeing you in my ward too often."

Hanzo wondered why these people seemed so happy to see him. Perhaps he had just been not experience genuine conversation for so long that even a basic warm greeting seemed foreign to him now. Although, something in his gut told him that it was more than that. Bringing his attention back to the present Genji nodded towards the last person, "And this is Lucio Correia dos Santos," He stumbled over the pronunciation but Lucio didn't seem to notice.

The man smiled brightly and with his whole face, a quality which Hanzo admittedly found endearing. Lucio extended his hand which Hanzo shook, "It's nice to meet you, Hanzo."

Hanzo was a little taken aback by Lucio using his first name but that had more to do with having not heard it used casually in so long. "You as well, thank you for letting me impose on you."

Lucio waved his remarks away, "Don't worry about it, man! Glad to have you on base."

"Lucio is another medical technician of ours. He has been working in an experimental field for a few years now called Audio recovery." Genji explained.

"I see." Hanzo nodded. He didn't know anything about the project but he was feeling too tired to ask and be able understand whatever it was. He assumed it was pretty straightforward, likely akin to audio therapy.

"Yeah, it's really cool stuff. I could give you a sample if you're ever curious. I've been working on a new one recently which is yielding some really awesome results." 

Hanzo smiled politely, "Thank you."

"And of course you have already met Fareeha Amari." Fareeha came to stand beside Hanzo, holding his bags in her arms. He thanked her and took them from her.

"Well," Winston began, "We will leave you two to talk but if you need anything from any of us feel free ask and we will be happy to help. If you aren't tired from your trip then any one of us would be happy to take you on a tour of the facilities."

Hanzo nodded, "Thank you, I would appreciate that."

"Oh, and we have a room made up for you on the east end. You can drop your things off there if you would like."

"We will do that." affirmed Genji.

Winston nodded and they began to turn and leave through the door they had entered. Fareeha smiled at him as she passed.

Genji and Hanzo were left alone, a strained silence settled between them.

"Come brother, I will show you to your room." he said, lapsing into Japanese. He extended his hands to take Hanzo's bags but he declined. 

The two walked in silence through the base till they came to a large building with an opening that led immediately into a stairwell. They climbed three levels before coming to a landing. There was a sign on the wall which read hall 3-D. Hanzo followed Genji as he led them through corridors which lit themselves as they walked. Finally the brothers came to a room on the right near the end of the hall which had the numbers 324 on it. There was a keypad on the door and Genji quickly entered in four zeros before the metal door slid open.

"You can change the code later on if it will make you feel safer. That's just the default code for all unassigned rooms." Genji said over his shoulder as they entered.

The room was small but Hanzo had stayed in worse conditions. There was a double bed along the far wall with a window above it lighting the room with the soft glow of the evening sun. There was a small door which looked to lead into a closet which struck Hanzo as impressive. This must be a fairly high ranking officer's room to have even a small walk-in closet. There was large desk with a computer and several drawers and even space in the room for a few personal effects. Another door beside the entrance lead into a bathroom, at a glance Hanzo could see that it was pretty spacious and well taken care of. Hanzo went over to the closet to put his things somewhere for the time being as Genji sat down on the bed.

"I wish my room was this nice," he said bouncing experimentally, "this is so comfortable."

Hanzo turned to face him, stopping himself before he asked if Genji even needed to sleep anymore. Genji gave another small bounce or two before he turned to look at Hanzo. He suddenly seemed to deflate, leaning forward so that his elbows rested on his knees he looked up at his brother.

"You have questions."

"Of course." Hanzo walked over and pulled the chair out from the desk.

"What do you wish to know."

"How did you survive? I saw you die...I held you."

Genji couldn't help a small laugh, "Always directly to the heart, eh? You may look differently but you are the same."

Something about Genji's tone made him wonder if that was a good thing.

"After our fight I am told the elders knew that I wasn't dead but they knew that after everything you would do no more. If you knew I was alive you would not have finished me off and they would have to find some other way of killing me. If you had known I was still alive you might have tried to take me and leave the clan. They didn't want me to stay and try to pull you away, or worse, tarnish our family's reputation by continuing to live as I had been. So, they had intentions of dropping me off at one of the body dump sites on the outskirts of town and letting me bleed out in the dirt."

Hanzo felt sick.

"They dumped me but Overwatch had been watching the clan for a long time. One of their medics and several of their agents had been running a recon mission and had found me. Recognizing me, the medic kept me stable till they could get an evac and take me to a base. Admittedly, I'm not sure that they would have saved me if I weren't such a high ranking member of our clan with a lot of valuable information. I almost didn't make it. I am told I died twice on the way. Once I was brought to their Swiss base they brought in their most promising medical scientists and doctors, Dr. Ziegler chief among them. You met her just a minute ago downstairs. She saved my life, and thanks to her and some of our robotics staff they managed to give me a new life. Although, at first I was not treated kindly by everyone -seeing as I was part of the family and clan they had been working tirelessly to take down - but I soon came to call this place home."

"So you stay here with Overwatch out of some sense of duty? A debt to be repaid?"

There was a moment of silence then Genji reached up with on hand and removed his face plate, the armour making a hissing sound at it's release. His eyes met Hanzo's and Hanzo felt a wave of nausea as Genji's familiar eyes stared back at him with an intensity that was still new. He clenched his fists and tried to focus on the pain of his nails digging into his palms to ground himself, he would have to get used to this. In the warm light of the room Hanzo could see his face properly for the first time. His face was paler than Hanzo remembered, probably due to the lack of sun exposure. His now dark hair grew in tufts out from under the top of his helm, and small pale scars marred his face. Some he knew were from his blade, others he reasoned must be from surgery. His dark eyes looked back at him with a wisdom that had never been there before. Hanzo's chest felt too tight for the air that he tried force into his lungs. 

"No brother," Genji's was calm, "I stayed because I started to find peace here in our cause."

"And what cause is that?" Hanzo's words sounded strong despite the slight tremors he felt.

Genji smiled softly, a smile which Hanzo hadn't seen since before their father died, "Saving the world."

A silence fell on them. Part of Hanzo wanted to tell Genji that he was being childish. That one organization could not hope to save the whole world, regardless of their individual strengths and powers but his brother's gaze held him silent, he was careful to keep his face blank and still. After another few moments Genji bowed his head before replacing the mask over his face. Hanzo hated to admit that he was grateful for the separation between them.

"I did not intend to talk about all of this today. You are tired and there is still more I want to discuss but now that you are here we have we can talk more of that at a later time." Genji stood, "You seem tired brother, you are not yet accustomed to the time change and you have had a long trip. I will leave you to rest and come check on you later."

Hanzo said nothing although he wanted to protest, he couldn't deny that he felt slow and lethargic.

"We are going to be having some new agents and some old ones arriving in later today. We will likely have some sort of dinner to catchup and get acquainted with the newer people. You'll like them, they are very nice, but if you are tired I'm sure they will understand."

Hanzo could tell that Genji wanted him there. He would like to go for him but he felt beaten by the day's events "We will see."

Genji nodded, "I will come get you when it's time. Sleep well, brother."

With that Genji left with Hanzos sat in his foolish swivel chair. He was tired, but how could he be expected to sleep in this place after everything Genji had told him? He stood up and went to the closet and pulled out Storm Bow's case. Laying it carefully on the bed he opened it and removed the top compartment and produced his cleaning and sharpening kit. He sat down on the floor, laying his things out before him and set about working on his arrows. As his hands moved with the sort of absent familiarity that came with practice, he allowed his mind to wander. _What is it that I am doing here? I am here to reconcile with Genji, but how? Even if I didn't kill him I might as well have. The life he had and the people he loved were taken and now he has been forced to live a new life. One that he did not choose among strangers._ He put down the arrow he had been working on and rubbed his eyes. They had begun to ache, he knew he was tired but he just couldn't quiet his mind. He knew what Genji said, but how could he ever forgive him? Perhaps he was wasting his time being here. He reminded himself that he had nowhere else to go and no true reason to leave before putting his kit and arrows away. He closed the case and slid it carefully under the bed. He thought about undressing but decided that he would rather be prepared incase someone were to need him. He climbed into bed and his mind swirled in circles for almost half an hour before he drifted into restless sleep.

He started awake to a sound at the door. Sitting up he struggled to remember where he was before it came back to him. The window above his bed let moon light stream in but otherwise the room was dark. He stood and fumbled for the lights for a moment as another knock sounded. He pressed a button to the side of the door frame and the door slid open to reveal Genji with his hand poised to knock again.

"Ah! I'm glad, it looks as though you have gotten some sleep."

Hanzo ran a hand over his head to straighten his rumbled hair.

"Everyone has arrived and dinner will begin shortly. Do you feel able to come?"

Hanzo knew he was hungry, but he longed for more sleep and the prospect of talking to more people whom he didn't know especially when he was in this exhausted state made him feel almost queasy. "Thank you for the invitation, but I think I will rest some more."

"No need to be so formal. I will let everyone know that you were unwell. If you feel better you are welcome to come down. There is a man here named Jesse McCree I have worked with for a while now, he is quiet friendly. He said he would like to meet my brother but apparently he is leaving tomorrow. He thinks he has found a spy for a powerful organization we oppose. Although, since you are tired, I'm sure that you will have another opportunity."

Sometimes the things Genji said reminded Hanzo of when they were children. Genji's interest in espionage never seemed to change even when he was a teenager and Hanzo had found such things to be childish. He could practically see the smile behind his mask as he talked about their rival organization. "Perhaps you can introduce me before he leaves tomorrow, Genji." he said with a small smile.

Genji stiffened almost imperceptibly, "Of course, I'm going to head down. If you find yourself hungry the way to the kitchen is down the stairs outside your door to the ground floor and there will be signs from there. Have a good night, brother."

"You as well." Hanzo told Genji's retreating back. He swallowed a small lump in his throat before closing his door, turning off the light, and crawling back into bed. He found it hard to get back to sleep, he could hear the sounds of laughter and music all the way up in his room soon after Genji had left. He felt guilty for not going but he knew that he would not leave a good impression if he were half asleep the whole evening. Hanzo managed to sleep for another few hours when he felt pain in his right leg. Frustrated and tired Hanzo sat up and rubbed his prosthetic, trying to convince himself that it wasn't there. He spent another few minutes hitting it but nothing was working. He felt his stomach growl so he decided to try and get something to eat. Sometimes walking helped but it was always difficult for the first few steps. He was about the leave when he doubled back for his bow. Even if he could trust everyone on the base, Overwatch had many enemies and he would rather be prepared than dead. As he stepped out into the hallway he was grateful that it was silent, he hoped that meant the everyone had gone to bed already. The path was easy to find thanks to his brother's directions and the signs all along the ground floor.

He didn't bother to turn on the lights as he entered the large kitchen. There were low lights still on which helped him see that the room was a mess. Dishes had been left unwashed all over the large table that occupied half the room. Bottles and cans of different kinds of alcohol sat abandoned everywhere, and most disturbing of all were the articles of clothing which had been abandoned. Hanzo was grateful that he had decided to stay in his room. He had never been one for rambunctious parties, especially with strangers.

The refrigerator was enormous to the point that it looked somewhat ridiculous. He was about to pull the door open when he heard footsteps coming his way. He considered going back the into the hallway till whoever it was left but decided that it would be ridiculous to hide. Also, he was likely to meet the others on the base soon enough so he might as well get accustomed to them. Instead he turned to greet the person, albeit uncomfortably. Hanzo had not been prepared for Joel to stroll in, the tell tale cape and spurs absent. In a matter of seconds Hanzo had pulled his bow off as Joel turned to look at him, his eyes widening in surprise. Hanzo nocked an arrow but was caught off guard at the speed which Joel drew his gun.

"You are far stupider than I gave you credit for, cowboy." Hanzo said sneering. This man must be truly insane if he thought he could follow him here.

"Come off it, Saito." Joel growled, "Did Talon send you after me?"

Hanzo didn't know who Talon was but now his survival was the most important thing to him, "Drop your weapon or this will not end well for you."

Joel let out a laugh, "Like hell you crazy son of a bitch." He cocked back the hammer on his revolver and shouted, "Code 9987T dash 2!"

Suddenly the air exploded with light and sound. An alarm blared and the room lit up in a bright red light. Hanzo didn't waste any time, whatever Joel had done was likely not good. Hanzo rolled for cover behind the counter top and Joel shot what must have been a warning because it missed him by a mile. He could barely hear Joel moving towards him, likely to try and catch him while he had nowhere to go. Hanzo opened a cabinet beside him and pulled out a plate and waited till the footsteps came right on the other end of the of the cabinet. He threw the plate towards the far wall, it shattered with a crash and Hanzo sprang up and slid over the cabinets hoping that Joel had been distracted. Gripping Storm bow in both hands he swung at Joel nearly hitting him in the head, but Joel was fast and dodged out of the way so that he only managed to knock his hat off. Hanzo advanced and tackled him to the floor. Hanzo grabbed at Joel's gun, meaning to disarm him but Joel wouldn't let go. Finally with a great burst of strength Hanzo pulled it from him and threw it away. Sitting up he straddled Joel and pulled an arrow from his quiver and held it up to Joel's neck.

"Turn off whatever you did." shouted Hanzo above the alarm.

"Hanzo!" Hanzo turned just in time to see his brother streak into the room. The archer was about to ask Genji to aid him with the intruder but Genji lunged at him tackled him from his assailant. Hanzo rolled before being slammed into the wall. "What the hell are you doing?! Code 9986T!" Genji shouted.

The alarm and the lights cut immediately. A cool feminine sounding voice sounded over the speakers, "Is everything alright, Genji?"

"Yes, Athena. Please let everyone know that everything is okay and they can return to bed." Genji released Hanzo.

Hanzo could hear her voice echo through the halls as she relayed his message. Joel suddenly stood and grabbed his gun, "Get away from him Genji, he's a Talon agent."

Genji pressed a hand to Hanzo's chest to keep him in place and raised a hand toward Joel. "Enough McCree, there has clearly been some mistake."

"Mistake, my ass! This sidewinder has been following me for weeks. The only way he would know where I was or what I was doing is if he was working for Talon."

"Lower your weapon, you idiot. I am no spy." Hanzo said as he stood, brushing off Genji's hand.

Seeing that Hanzo was clearly not going to continue fighting he slowly lowered his weapon. There was a pause as the three of them looked around at each other, "Alright then, what the heck _is_ goin on?"

Genji gestured to Joel, "Hanzo, this is Jesse McCree. I was telling you about him earlier. He is a freelance worker for Overwatch and an ex-agent."

"I see." Hanzo said scrutinizing Joe-McCree.

"Yeah, you do. Now who are you, really?" Jesse was clearly annoyed, which although annoying itself, Hanzo could find understandable.

"McCree, this is Hanzo Shimada. He is the former head of the Shimada clan and has just come to stay with us. He is also my older brother."

"You're what?" McCree looked skeptically between the two of them.

"What reason would he have to lie?" asked Hanzo, eager to be done with this whole ridiculous affair. This was all too loud and he had already been hungry and tired when all of this had started and now he was even more so. Also, he was embarrassed to have made such a commotion on his first night.

"He is Hanzo Shimada and I am Genji Shimada. We are brothers." Genji stated patiently.

McCree furrowed his brow, "Well than what were you doing in Hanamura? And Nepal?"

Hanzo felt himself becoming agitated. He stopped himself from giving a cutting remark, knowing that this would only make things worse. "I was seeking out Genji after we reunited in Hanamura." he gritted.

Jesse balked and crossed hims arms, "Not sure why you're gettin an attitude with me, fella. You're the one who attacked me in my home base, and would it have killed you to have told me all this in Nepal? Could have saved me a few hours of tracking."

Hanzo was doing all he could to reign in his temper. He didn't need to cause any more trouble tonight, it would be best to answer honestly and calmly. That's what he told himself at least, but what he said was, "I did not know you and you kept turning up. I did not _owe_ you anything and told you to not look for me and you chose to. Also, it took you hours to figure out that I had left the country after you saw me drive away?"

Jesse's eyes narrowed, "I was exaggerating."

Genji stepped between them, Hanzo hadn't noticed that the two of them had been getting closer. "I'm not sure what happened between the two of you but obviously it will not be resolved when you are both tired and irritable from your long journeys. Why don't you both take what you were here for and sleep before trying to pursue this further?"

Hanzo and Jesse looked hard at one another for a long moment before Jesse sighed and wordlessly turned to grab his hat from where it had landed on the floor. 

Genji spoke to Hanzo in Japanese while Jesse went to dig something out of the fridge, "Brother, you have been here one day and you have already attacked someone?"

"Don't say it in that way. I did not attack him, he came in and I drew my bow in self defense."

Beside them McCree stuck something in the microwave which beeped loudly with every button. "Please, try and resist the temptation the use 'self defense' on any other agents."

The microwave's alarm sounded loudly and Jesse took his time pulling it out. Genji turned his face to look at McCree and Hanzo got the impression that if his mask had been off he would be looking pleadingly at him.

"Fine," Hanzo said in English, "I will not fight him if he does not try to attack me again."

Jesse slammed the microwave door shut, "Listen here, partner. I was not the one who pulled their weapon first."

"Perhaps, but you did shoot first."

"That was a warning to get you to-"

"Enough!" cut in Genji, "Jesse, please let Hanzo get his food. The both of you have a good night."

The two of them looked after him as Genji left then back at each other. For a while neither of them moved or spoke until Jesse let out a long groan and tilted his head back.

"Listen," he began, "You and have had rough start after rough start but I want to talk to you tomorrow. Since you're going to be staying here we might as well clear the air."

Hanzo said nothing opting for a single nod. He loathed to admit it but Jesse was right, it would be ridiculous to fight like this forever.

Jesse nodded once decisively, "Right then, I'm heading to bed. You have a good night, I guess."

As Jesse passed him he had the absurd feeling that he should punch him. When Hanzo was alone he set about getting something to eat. He put his plate in the microwave and watched as it turned about. He couldn't help himself from letting out his own frustrated groan. _I couldn't imagine a more complicated or ridiculous situation._ It was looking as though his time here was going to be a difficult one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It has been a while since my last update so I made this one a little longer. I would have liked to proof it one more time but I didn't have the time. Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter. I'm happy to give you guys something that is more the quality I will be putting out from now on. Thank you everyone who has been reading thus far, and I really appreciate all of the comments you have all been leaving.
> 
> Feel free to follow me on my tumblr at overfucker.tumblr.com and comment or message me. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy the next chapter!


	7. A Real Introduction

Hanzo turned over in his bed trying to force himself to go back to sleep. He cracked an eye open at the clock which was affixed to the wall beside the door. It's bright red numbers seemed to have been stuck at 4:03 for hours. He closed his eyes again and attempted to clear his mind, he would have a difficult time adjusting to the the time change if he couldn't achieve a normal sleep schedule but laying in bed was starting to feel frustrating. He laid still and tried to breathe deeply. He awoke and was glad to have slept more, opening his eyes he looked at the clock again. _4:06 am_. Hanzo rolled onto his back and rubbed his eyes in the darkness before dropping them heavily at his sides. _I suppose that is all the sleep I will be getting._

It took him no time to dress, get his bow, and leave his room. The people on base had offered to show him around but he doubted any of them would be awake, no matter, he was used to finding his way around new environments. He decided to start from the inside out and began by mapping out the building he was occupying in his mind. Besides the kitchen and a large recreational room he had found on the bottom floor, this building was mostly composed of dorm rooms for the staff. Hanzo presumed that this must be for newer staff because all of the rooms opened to the four zero code Genji had shown him. It seemed like he was the only one staying in this building and he doubted there were enough people from what he saw to fill a different one. He found that distinctly suspicious and made a note to ask Genji about it later. The outside of the building was equally as boring. It was still dark without even a hint of the sunrise to light his way. Thankfully the pathways and structures were all well lit by floodlights and small blue bulbs all along the walk ways. The walls of his building were easy to scale and even had a ladder on the far side, presumably for maintenance. Although, he wasn't sure for what, seeing as there were only a few antenna which could easily be fixed by one of the flying attendants. Something else which seemed distinctly suspicious.

He leapt to the next building's roof top with ease thanks to the wind. This one was longer and shaped like an L. He tried to open the roof top entrance but found it to be locked. He tried the four zero code but the door remained shut tight. Hanzo was starting to wonder if it might be better to wait for a proper tour, so far his own was turning out to be quite boring. There were no other buildings he could jump to from where he was so he leapt down onto a fire escape that came from a lower door -which also turned out to be locked - and descended to look for a different entrance. After some exploration he found no way in and began to walk around the main path through the facility. The night was dark and cool with the moon only a small sliver in the sky. Hanzo inhaled deeply, the silence, the soft lights, and the fresh air made him feel like he was the only person in the world. It was both peaceful and lonely, a feeling which made his heart ache inexplicably.

As he explored only to find locked door after locked door he reflected on the events of the day before. It seemed to have lasted for weeks due to running into Joel-Jesse at the temple, being reunited with Genji, and then making a fool of himself in the kitchen. Regardless of his past with Jo-Jesse he should not have reacted so hastily. It was only his first day at the base and he had woken everyone up by setting off an alarm and attacking one of their agents. Today he was determined to set about making things right and renewing his bond with Genji. He would show his brother that he had changed into someone he could trust. That would have to start by him showing that he was now capable of amending his errors.

The wind blew and Hanzo took another deep breath letting his lungs fill and his mind become peaceful. He began to seriously reconsider looking around the base further, it now occurred to him that if he stumbled into a zone with restricted access he might end up setting off yet another alarm. He decided that he would stick to the outside of buildings, instead opting to first understand the general layout of the facility. He had explored the entire north side when he saw the now familiar red cape. Jesse was sitting on a ledge behind one of the larger buildings looking out over the steep drop to the ocean. He had his arms through the lower rung of the banister and seemed to be smoking. His hat was off and placed beside him so that his hair blew in the wind. Hanzo considered avoiding him and continuing around the base but decided that it would be far better to talk to him while he was alone. He squared his shoulders and raised his chin proudly. He did not relish this talk, he was adept at keeping secrets and the idea of having to explain himself to someone who was essentially a stranger burned more than he had anticipated. Forcing himself forward he walked loudly toward Jesse as not to startle the cowboy. He was two meters from him by the time he turned around, a cigar burning softly in his lips. Hanzo wrinkled his nose but did not complain.

"Well now, I didn't think I would be seeing you quite so soon. I guess I've gotten used to having to chase you down. Time change keeping you up too?" Jesse said smiling sardonically.

"Yes." Hanzo bit out, trying with little success to seem open.

Jesse only shrugged, "Why don't you take a seat, partner?" He patted the place beside him as he breathed in more smoke.

Silently Hanzo sat down, feet tucked under him. He began to looking impassively out over the dark ocean waters, opting for that rather than having to look Jesse in the eye. The sky was already beginning to brighten, the sun would be rising soon. The two of them were silent, Hanzo could feel Jesse's eyes on him.

"Never noticed that tattoo before." commented Jesse, gesturing to Hanzo's arm, "That sure is a piece of work. I guess I never saw it on account of the long sleeves you always wear."

Hanzo lifted his arm in front of him, "That is intentional. It is very eye catching and people seem to remember it and give good descriptions to bounty hunters."

"Well, how come you got it, then? Don't seem to fit your low profile type a' life style."

"It is the mark of the Shimada family. All those who ascend to the higher ranks get them."

"Now that is pretty cool. Did Genji have one too?"

"Yes." the memories that the questions invoked choked off any other words Hanzo might have said. He slowly lowered his arm and resumed his silent watch over the horizon. Jesse cleared his throat as though prompting him to continue but Hanzo decided that he had said enough.

"So," Jesse began as he flicked some ash off his cigar, "You want me to ask you questions or you want to just start talkin'."

Hanzo turned to look at him. He didn't want to talk but he would show his brother that he was trying by making amends with this man. The old him would never have done this, he would prove that he changed, "What is it that you wish to know."

Jesse looked somewhat surprised, "Within reason" Hanzo amended quickly.

"Well, alright then. For starters what was your first name again? I got the Shimada part down. I know it sure ain't Haruto." He said as he stubbed out his cigar beside him.

Hanzo quirked an eyebrow, "Hanzo."

"Hanzo, got ya. I knew it was somethin' with a 'ha' sound." he leaned back and took his arms from the railing, offering his hand to Hanzo, "I'm Jesse McCree. Nice to officially meet ya'."

Hanzo took his hand, "Well, it is obvious that you were not lying about being a friendly person. I gave you leave to ask anything you wanted and that was your first question?"

Jesse shrugged and leaned forward to rest back on the railing, "It helps in this line of work to be personable. Listen, Hanzo. I'm sorry about all that fuss yesterday."

Hanzo shook his head, "No need. I am the one who attacked you. I am sorry for frightening you."

Jesse's brow furrowed, "Hold on now, who was frightened? I just about had the whole base down on your ass. There ain't no frightened about that."

Hanzo looked at him wryly, "I had an arrow pressed to your throat and, judging by how long it took even Genji to get to us, I could have killed you easily."

Jesse waved his words away as though they were a bad smell, "Come on now, Hanzo. You know I had you beat. We should have another go later on and I'll show you what I'm really made of."

Hanzo felt himself smile slightly, "You are a very strange person."

"Yeah, well." he gave a small shrug, "So, what were you doing in Japan anyhow?"

Hanzo felt his mirth die instantly. Judging by Jesse's slightly raised eyebrows he noticed the change. "I was there to honor Genji. Since his murder I have returned each year to honor his memory in our family's hall."

"He was murdered? I knew he was killed but I didn't know how." he said almost to himself.

Hanzo balled his hands into fists on his lap but kept his face impassive, "Talk about something else."

"Oh shit, sorry. I wasn't thinkin'." Jesse's voice held concern but Hanzo was careful to keep his face rigid, "Well uh..What were you doin' up on that hill, then? The one in Hanamura."

"I was there to meditate and eat breakfast. Also to plan what I should do next to track the person who claimed to be Genji."

Jesse laughed wagging a finger, "See, that's where I started getting suspicious. I was actually there to meet with Genji and brief him about what was happening back on base. I thought it was way too much of a coincidence that I see you twice near my mission locations."

Hanzo felt something in him tighten. Was that spot still important to Genji after all this time? Had Jesse chosen it or was it just a remote location?

"Okay, I'm starting to guess a pattern here. What were you doing in Nepal?"

The visit to the Shambali temple and the image of the happy monks was like a soothing balm over his frayed nerves, "I was looking for clues about Genji and if he was who he said."

"Yep, thought so."

Hanzo ignored him, "I had found out that Genji was working for Overwatch and was distrustful of his sudden reappearance. I found a picture of him at a temple in Nepal and went to get information. What were you doing there?"

"Well now, this gets into classified territory, but since you are Genji's brother I guess I can tell you," He gave Hanzo a wink and he sighed. Apparently they were on good enough terms again to resume the ridiculous banter, "I don't exactly work for Overwatch anymore. I'm just a freelancer who they brought on to help track down or bring in agents who didn't respond to the recall. Oh, you probably don't know but, Overwatch is still technically shut down. It's a whole long story but the short version is they are tryin' to get this thing back up and runnin' and they need agents and someone they trust to bring 'em in."

"The agents who don't come back are forced to do so?" Hanzo said narrowing his eyes.

Jesse clicked his tongue, "Come on now, you always lookin' for a reason to fight? No. We got plenty of enemies right now and I go around in secret makin' sure people are alright and see if they want to come back. If not, I tell 'em about the danger and report back to base so people know they're still alive. I ain't the most famous so even though I ain't rejoinin' I decided to help out."

"Hm...Sounds like a dangerous task to entrust to someone who does not work for Overwatch and thereby has no true connection to them. Why would you accept something so reckless and not just become and agent who would have backup should something go wrong?"

Jesse ran a hand through his hair, "That's another long story, partner. One which I'm not feelin' up to tellin'."

Hanzo inspected the cowboy before deciding to let the matter drop. He had done the same for Hanzo, there were still boundaries after all, "What were you doing in Nepal then? I presume you were in Japan in pursuit of Genji, but I can't image you would bring a monk into battle with you." 

The cowboy chuckled softly, "You got a point there. Honestly, I'm not sure. They asked me to go get him so that's what I did."

"I thought the point of this was to be honest."

"I am being honest. If something doesn't seem important than I don't need to worry about it. I wasn't there to hurt him, so who cares why they needed him?"

The sun was beginning to crest the horizon. Hanzo turned his face toward it and felt it warm some of the chill from his face, "Genji used to say something similar when we began working together."

"See? Genji's got a good head on his shoulders." he said with a crooked smiling.

"I will tell you what I told him then." Hanzo turned back to face him, "You are too smart and too talented to simply follow orders. Or at the very least you seem to be."

"Oh, uh..." Jesse felt his face flush, "Well, it ain't as simple as all that."

"Perhaps not. Honestly, I don't know you that well, but from what I have seen you are capable of more than grunt work."

"Well thank you, Hanzo. I guess you really are a sweet heart under all that bluster." he said placing a hand over his heart and fluttering his eyelashes.

Hanzo laughed slightly, "We truly don't know each other very well if that is what you think."

"Hanzo!" Genji called as he came jogging toward them.

"Good morning, brother." Hanzo turned to look at him.

"Good morning, Genji!" called Jesse as he put his hat on.

"Good morning, Jesse. I hope my brother is not keeping you hostage." He said with a laugh but Hanzo could detect a note of seriousness in his voice that set him on edge.

"Aww, nah. You're brother has been nothin' but sweet to me all morning. He came lookin' for me to hash things out." Hanzo turned to Jesse searching his face. Why was he being so nice?

"Wow, brother. I am very glad to hear that." Hanzo could hear his smile even if he could not see it, "I actually was coming to see if you wanted me to take you on a tour of the facilities. You weren't in your room so I was checking to see if you had started without me."

Hanzo stood, "Thank you, that would be good." His stomach felt tense. Genji had been worried that Hanzo was not in his room, though he didn't think it was for his well being. Genji may say that he had forgiven him, but he did not trust him. That was to be expected but it did not lessen the sting.

"I don't mind takin' him around." voiced Jesse as he stood as well, "I'm sure you got plenty of work to do, Genji - what with you guys getting ready for the big come back and all - but I'm free as a bird."

"Are you sure? I thought you were leaving in search of a spy for Talon."

"I believe I was the Talon spy." Hanzo said crossing his arms against a cold breeze.

"Oh, yes. You said something about that last night. How did that come about?"

Jesse shrugged, "It's a long story-"

"You say that too much." Hanzo cut in.

Jesse ignored him, "but essentially we kept running into one another and got a whole mess of wrong ideas. All sorted now, though."

"Are you alright with that, Hanzo?"

Honestly, Hanzo would have preferred more time with Genji, but he did not want to become burdensome, "If it is most convenient."

Genji looked back and forth between the two of them, "Well, if you are alright with it then that would actually help me out a good deal. I will see you later today, Hanzo. I will come find you once my work is done."

Hanzo only nodded and Genji streaked away with a speed that surprised him. Jesse placed a hand on Hanzo's shoulder, "Well. Where do you want to start?"

Hanzo brushed his hand off, "Don't touch me so casually. As the one giving the tour you should know better than I."

Jesse raised his hand in a placating gesture, "Alright, well. Let's start at the entrance and work our way back."

***

The two walked with Jesse doing nearly all of the talking for almost two hours. Occasionally he would ask Hanzo something but for the most part he gave short answers. Jesse got the impression that Hanzo's mind was somewhere else but decided not to ask. The sun was fully risen and it seemed as though it was going to be a warm day, perfect for being outside. He was hoping that the nice weather would do something to improve Hanzo's mood.

"And this is the medbay." Jesse said with a grand sweeping gesture. The building was one of the shortest in the compound but something about it still seemed imposing, perhaps because Jesse had always hated doctor visits.

Hanzo looked up at it, his face as impassive and disinterested as it had been throughout their tour. Jesse groped for something interesting to say but came up short.

"Hopefully you won't need to be in here too often, but if you do Angela is the best of the best. She did just about all the work on my arm." Jesse raised his metal prosthetic. The sun glinted off it and Hanzo seemed to come out of whatever fog had been surrounding him.

"It seems good quality, although kind of rustic in it's appearance." Hanzo looked at it closely, "Although, that seems to fit you well."

Jesse got the feeling he was being looked down upon, "You're hardly one to talk. You look like you just stepped out of some kind of samurai movie."

Hanzo smirked at him, "Don't get defensive, cowboy." he said with a pointed look toward his hat and serape.

Before Jesse could come up with a retort Lucio called out to them from the medbay entrance.

"Good morning, guys! Glad to see that you seem to have made up!"

"How did you know about all that?" Jesse said with faux suspicion.

"Come on, man. When an alarm goes off at stupid o' clock people want to know what's up. Genji gave us all the run down this morning."

Just behind him Jesse could see Zenyatta float into view, the omnic gave them both a tight wave. "It is good to see you Hanzo Shimada. You seem in a better state of mind than when we last spoke."

Jesse turned to regard Hanzo who nodded once, "Your help was appreciated."

"You guys here to sample some of my new work? It's totally awesome." Lucio said, bouncing a little on the balls of his feet.

Jesse glanced at Hanzo and saw a restless look about him, "Thanks Lucio, but another time. I wanted to show Hanzo around before he has to go meet up with Genji."

Hanzo looked at him but Jesse didn't notice, "Alright, no worries. Well, we're gonna be here all day so come by later if you want to have your mind blown. Like, really. It's awesome."

Jesse laughed and agreed as the the two of them headed back into the building. Jesse and Hanzo continued walking toward the other dorm facility.

"I have not been myself today." Hanzo stated abruptly.

Jesse kept walking but looked over at him, "Don't fuss about it too much. It's a new place with new people. It takes time to adjust."

Hanzo nodded silently. Jesse smiled at him and Hanzo gave him a small soft one in return which made Jesse's heart skip a beat.

***

"-and this is the R and D lab. Most people come here to get their armour and weapons upgraded but I'm sure you will catch Angela and Lucio in here a lot too."

"Is this restricted access? I would like to see the inside." Hanzo looked at the large building with interest.

Jesse scratched his beard, "Well, some of it is but I can show you the first floor."

Jesse led the way keying in the six digit access code. The R and D building was one of their largest. Back when Overwatch had been up and running at it's full capacity this was the best facility for improvements thanks to Winston and Athena. People would come from all around the world to study technology here. The first floor looked almost like a hospital with it's white walls and sleek shining floors. Much of the base looked somewhat broken down since the PETRAS act, but it was nice to see that some things hadn't changed.

"This floor is mostly what we use for armour. It has more lax security than the higher floors because we figure that if anyone manages to break in they can do the least damage with this stuff." Jesse said as he began to walk Hanzo about the room. He was about to tell Hanzo about the time that they had to fight off a hoard of omnics in the early days of the crisis who wanted to take their tech when he spotted Reinhardt and Brigitte hunched over a breast plate that could only be part of the Crusader armour. "Hey there, big fella!" called Jesse as he walked toward them. He dimly noticed that Hanzo had fallen back a few steps.

The big man turned around raising his welding mask, "Ah! Good morning, my friend! I'm glad to see that you are well after your rough housing last night!"

"Jeeze, did everyone have to hear about that?" he said with a laugh. Jesse had a soft spot in his heart for the older man. He had always been kind and strong in a way that made Jesse feel like he was someone's grandpa.

Bridgitte turned to face them as Hanzo came to stand beside him, "Well, when an intruder alarm goes off, people want to know why."

"Yeah, yeah. We got the same story from Lucio."

"I am sorry to cause such a disturbance." Hanzo said evenly.

Jesse suddenly remembered his manners, "You guys must not have met. This is Hanzo, he's Genji's brother, and this is Reinhardt and Bridgitte. Reinhardt is an active agent and Bridgitte pretty much does everything for his armour."

"Listen, don't worry about all that from last night, but if you wanted to make it up to us you could help us out with a little test we are running."

Jesse shrugged, "Sure thing, we are pretty much done with our tour any ways." He smiled at Hanzo who just looked at him.

"Well, on our last mission we had a run in with a talon agent who had to be some kind of demon. It was almost like every time Reinhardt turned even slightly they would be able to get a shot right into the engine on his back. I put in some new reinforcements that should make that harder to do now but I wanted you to give it a shot. Literally."

"Okay, but I don't think Rein should be wearin' it while I shoot."

Reinhardt laughed heartily, "Do you doubt Bridgitte's design?"

"Fair enough, saddle up."

A few minutes of strapping in later and the big man was completely armour clad. Jesse glanced over at Hanzo and could see the man was impressed though he was trying not to show it. The only indication he gave were his slightly raised eyebrows. All of them made their way to the testing room to minimize any damage from ricocheting bullets as much as possible. The testing room look like a long gun range but with reinforced glass dividing a room on the far side where people could view the testing from. Hanzo and Bridgitte went into the room to observe while McCree and the knight stood on opposite sides of the room from one another. Jesse drew Peacekeeper while Reinhardt gave his hammer a few experimental swings.

"Alright." Bridgitte spoke into a microphone so that her voice echoed through the room, "Rein, I just need you to swing around like you would in battle but keep a long range between the two of you. Jesse, all you have to do is shoot into Rein's engine and try to disable it."

"Sounds good. But, keep in mind, I'm no sniper." Jesse was a confident marksman, and was especially good under pressure, but his forte was usually in close to midrange combat.

"Well, you're the best we have on base so just do what you can. Reinhardt begin whenever you are ready."

He gave a thumbs up before starting to swing his hammer in large arks, turning as though fighting enemies all about him. Jesse cocked the hammer back on peacekeeper and got into position. He tilted his hat back and lined up his shot. He took a slow deliberate breath in before letting a single shot ring out. He saw it hit the engine but with his sudden turning it only hit the edge. Readjusting he squared his shoulders focused again and shot again, this time it hit almost at the center but seemed to hit something and fly into the wall behind him.

"Alright, that should do it." Jesse holstered his weapon and Reinhardt stopped. The two were about to make their way to the door when Brigitte spoke again, "Hold that thought. Hanzo wants to give it a try. He says he does a lot of long range work."

Hanzo came into the room and Jesse went to get him a gun. "No," Hanzo pulled his bow from his back, "I have what I need."

Jesse looked him up and down, "No offense there, partner but I don't think your bow could hit stronger than my gun."

Hanzo came to stand where Jesse had been. "It is not about hitting hard, it is about hitting accurately." he scoffed.

Jesse chuckled, "Tell that to the guy with the huge hammer." He said butting a thumb toward the knight.

"Alright, start the test whenever you are ready."

Reinhardt gave a thumbs up again before started to swing. Hanzo pulled a bow from his quiver and began to line up his shot. Jesse would be lying if he said that the archer didn't look absolutely deadly. His muscles tensed as he drew back and focused on his target. Hanzo released his first arrow. It glanced off the swirling man's side with a hollow ring. Jesse was about to make a joke when Hanzo reached behind him and pulled out two arrows. He held both in his draw hand and readjusted his stance before nocking one. Jesse noticed that Hanzo was aiming too high when he let one loose, it struck Reinhardt's helmet. Thankfully it glanced off like the side had but the shot took the big man by surprise and he instinctively turned his body to lessen the damage, presenting his back. With a speed that seemed almost inhuman Hanzo nocked his second arrow and fired it directly into the center of the big man's engine. There was a second where nothing happened before the arrow caught fire and the engine exploded with a cloud of smoke before stopping all together. Reinhardt stopped and with visible effort, moving to stand straight.

"Holy shit, Hanzo! That was amazing!"

Hanzo replaced his bow before shrugging apathetically, "It just takes focus and practice."

Bridgitte came running into the room with a fire extinguisher. She sprayed the engine down quickly before asking Athena to help get Rienhardt out of his armour. Several mechanical arms began unfastening him as Bridgitte dropped the extinguisher haphazardly. Grabbing the tablet she had tucked under her arm she began to write quickly.

"Really interesting stuff." she said absently, not looking up from her work, "Athena please place Reinhardt's armour in my station. Thank you for your help guys. I have some improvements to make obviously - to be honest that was really cool - but I'm going to work on that. Well I'm going to get to that once I check on Rein, but thanks for the data and I will probably ask for your help some other time if you are still around."

With that she walked over to Reinhardt, who was coughing and laughing, and began asking him questions, all the while not looking up from her tablet.

"Excellent work, my friend! You are a worthy opponent!" Reinhardt boomed before the young woman called his attention back to her questions.

"Well, I guess we are done here." said Jesse when it was clear that the two of them would be busy for a while, "Why don't I show you to the cafeteria and we can grab some lunch?"

Hanzo nodded and they made their way out of the building. The two of them toured around a little more, running into a few people here and there who rushed about busily. Finally they came to the larger cafeteria in the main conference building and helped themselves to something to eat. The team hadn't had time to hire on kitchen staff yet so they made due with whatever they could find. Hanzo was content to eat at one of the tables but Jesse insisted that they sit outside in the nice weather. Jesse took Hanzo to a higher cliff just outside the base. It was a bit of a climb but Hanzo looked to be having no trouble with it, in fact Jesse felt as though Hanzo would be going faster if not for him. The cliff had a beautiful view of the ocean and some of grasslands which led off to lower ledges. The place they sat was about 300 feet or so of flat grassy plane. There were a few flowers and some scruffy bushes but one of the things that Jesse loved most about it was that it was well shaded with a few good rocks to lean up against and smoke or nap on. It was one of his favourite places to sit and be alone but he figured that Hanzo might appreciate it too.

"This is a very nice view." commented Hanzo as he sat down with his sandwich.

"Yeah, it's one of my favourites. It's a good place to get some peace and since I'm not gonna be around here too much I figured you could put it to good use." Jesse dropped down beside him and began unwrapping his lunch.

"More former and prospected agents to accost?" 

Jesse chuckled, "I told you it ain't like that. I'm not around base all that much anymore, but I'm glad I got the chance to clear the air with you. I know it's usually in strange circumstances, but it's usually nice to talk to you."

Jesse almost missed Hanzo saying "You as well."

The two ate for a while in silence before Jesse decided to ask a question that had been on his mind for a while, "Hey."

"Hm?" Hanzo hummed around a mouthful of food.

"How come you never emailed me back?" Hanzo choked and coughed a few times before managing to get it down, "I know that you and I were trying to keep things slow and distant - what with both of us doing secretive work - but why give me your email address if you didn't want to stay in touch?"

Hanzo visibly tried to swallow the remains of his bite before replying, "I was trying to keep my distance from you. You seemed the type to want to know a lot about me and that would have been a problem or at the very least a distraction."

"So why give me your real email at all?" 

"Well." Jesse could see Hanzo's brow furrow. Jesse wondered if he was going to tell him the truth and expected not, "Talking with you was the first time I had laughed in a long time."

Jesse could feel himself flush and his heart skip a beat. Hanzo had the slightest dusting of pink over his cheeks but his face looked angry and to Jesse it was one of the most endearing things he had ever seen.

 _Say something you idiot._ "I-uh."

Suddenly Hanzo stood, "Thank you for the tour, I must go and see Genji now. I'm sure he is looking for me."

"Uh, yeah. It was fun. We should hang out again later."

Hanzo said nothing as he walked toward the path that led back to base. Jesse stared dumbly after him. Hanzo was thankful that he couldn't see his burning cheeks as he walked quickly away.

Jesse watched him till he was out of sight before leaning back on a rock. He pulled a cigar from his pocket. Lighting it he took a deep drag, _Oh boy, I'm in for a mess of trouble with this one._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I figured some relationship building was in order after all the confusion. Expect next chapter to have little more excitement! Also, I think I have a good rhythm down and you guys can expect an update every two weeks. That gives me enough time to write and proof it properly. Thank you all for the support, I really appreciate reading what you guys think of each chapter, it really helps keep me motivated! I hope you all continue reading and as always feel free to follow me on my tumblr at overfucker.tumblr.com.
> 
> Thank you all for reading!


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